Orange Roses
by elodrie
Summary: Kuki is thrilled when she finds out she'll be moving back to Cleveland! She left for Japan when she was 12 and she's been miserable ever since. Maybe she can meet her old friends, if she can remember who they were...
1. The Night Before

Purple.

Jeans-blue. 

Lilac.

Green.

Green again.

"No, wait…" Kuki Sanban mumbled to herself. She pulled the last green article of clothing out of her suitcase. She eyed it critically. Did she want to keep this? She looked back at her closet, which was still half full. Then back at her suitcase.

"Ah, what the heck, I'll just put it away." The 14 year old sighed. "I can't take _everything _with me…"

The door creaked open, making Kuki jump. How she hated that door! She was happy to be leaving _that_ behind. Along with, well, most of her life here in Japan.

"Kuki? Who are you talking to?" Mushi, Kuki's little sister, asked innocently.

_As if she doesn't know I talk to myself,_ Kuki thought. "No one. I was just convincing myself to part with this sweater, that's all." She replied out loud.

"Oh." Mushi stepped into the room, and looked down at her big sister's suitcase, open on the floor. "Uhhh… sissy, wouldn't it save more space if you--"

"Folded my clothes? Well, right now I'm just deciding what I'm gonna take with me." Kuki interrupted her sister, sounding extremely cranky. She had just been tossing her favourite clothes into her suitcase, and she didn't need her 9-year-old sister telling her that it was messy.

Mushi was already taken aback. "But sissy, I didn't know that…"

"Yeah, it's ok, I shouldn't have snapped. Any way, what do you think?"

"Whaa'?" Mushi asked, confused. Then she saw the green, bell-sleeved sweater Kuki was holding up. "Ohh, that! I think you should take it with you. You always wore it."

"I always wore it? What do you mean? I can't imagine how bad quality this sweater is! It's practically falling apart!" Kuki frowned at the long, bright green sweater she was holding out in front of her. "I mean, I love the colour, and it just fits me, but it's got holes everywhere!" Mushi snickered. "What? What's so funny?"

"You wore that every day! Don't you remember?"

"No! I did NOT wear it that often! I remember sometimes, but…"

"In your dreams, right?"

"Yeah… HEY! How did you know that?"

"You sleep talk. I hear every detail."

Kuki felt as though she was about to burst. "Mushi! Don't listen in on my dreams! MUSHI!" She hollered when her sister ran from the room.

"Kuki-Chan! Don't shout like that! We live in an apartment building now!" Kuki heard her mom, Genkei, call from the mini kitchen.

"Ok, mom, sorry!" She called back, and then forgetting all about Mushi, thought happily that soon, tomorrow, she wouldn't be living here anymore.

She put her long, black hair up in a high ponytail and started folding the clothes she had been tossing into her suitcase just moments ago.

Then her thoughts strayed again. To her new home. It was going to be a big house, where they had lived before. In Cleveland. When she was twelve, they moved away. She couldn't remember much from that time. She just remembered that she was very scared. And sad. She had had a great life there. And what was the best was that she was coming back to it. She was going to a normal school, where she could wear her own clothes!

_No more uniforms._ She thought happily. _And no more pressure to be like everyone else. Maybe I can see my old friends again._ She had never really thought about her friends. She knew that they had been a huge part of her life. She knew that they really cared about her, and really missed her, somehow. But she didn't know who they were.

She didn't really have any friends. Only those stupid girls at school, but she didn't care for them. They were mean. They made fun of her for a lot of reasons. Her accent, for example. She couldn't speak Japanese very well. And she wasn't obsessed with guys.

Kuki sighed and finally closed her suitcase. She thought some more, sitting on her suitcase, thinking about nothing, thinking about everything.

Mushi peeked around the corner. "Time to eat dinner."

"Ok, coming." Kuki said, and followed her sister to the kitchen.

They didn't eat dinner in silence.

"So, Kuki-Chan, Mushi-Chan, how do you like moving?" Their father, Kani, asked in Japanese.

"I love it!" Kuki cried. Her parents just smiled.

"Yes, Kuki-Chan, we know you haven't been having such a wonderful time here. I wonder why?" Genkei said, more to herself than to Kuki.

"I don't fit in, mom." She replied, in English. Her parents looked up from their fried shrimps.

"I just miss my friends a lot! I am soooo happy we're going back!" Mushi sang happily, in that hyperactive way that made Mushi Mushi. Her parents smiled, and Kuki giggled.

"Yes, well, when my old boss e-mailed me saying he needed me back, I knew how happy it would make you two." Their mother was thrilled that her two daughters where so excited. But the rest of the conversation simply continued between Kani and Genkei. Mushi and Kuki amused themselves with poking each other's ribs with the clean ends of their chopsticks.

Then…

**Flashback**

_Hi numbuh four!_

_What! Numbuh three, what are you doing here?_

_Well, my mom works here and it's bring your daughter to work- -_

…

…_Hope your friend likes Pluto!_

_No! You have to stop! Numbuh four's in there!_

"Kuki-Chan? Will you help me do the dishes?" Her mother.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, sure." Kuki shook her head and started clearing the table.


	2. Do I Know You?

_Erm, Kuki? I know you… love this guy, but… there's something… you need to know!_

_Yes, numbuh Four?_

_I, erm, I-I think… I think- - _

"Kuki?" Mushi's sweet, round face comes into view.

"Mhhh…"

It was still dark.

"Kuki!" Kuki opened her eyes again. "It's 4 o'clock…"

_Four? …Numbuh Four? _Kuki's dream still floated around in her head. She groaned, and pulled the covers over her head.

_Waaaiiit a second… _ Kuki sat up in her bed, conking her head against her sister's. "Owwww… sorry Mushi."

"It's ok!" Mushi giggled, rubbing her forehead. "We're going today, remember?"

"Huh? What? Going where?"

"Toooo… Cleveland!" Mushi twirled in circles until she fell down on Kuki's carpet. Kuki brightened.

"Yess!" She shouted, and quickly pulled on a pair of dark blue jeans and her favourite sweater, a purple one with lavender edges and bell sleeves. She threw her long pj's into her suitcase and slammed it shut again.

She and her sister walked down the hall singing a goofy Christmas song. After all, it _was _already December.

"Mommy and Daddy are waiting in the car, I guess." Mushi said when the two Japanese sisters didn't find their parents in the apartment.

"Yeah." Kuki responded, "It says on this note: _ Kuki-Chan and Mushi-Chan, we are loading the car. Bring your baggage downstairs and check your rooms for anything you forgot."_

"Did you take your orange rainbow monkey, Kuki?"

Kuki covered her mouth. "Ooooh, I think I forgot it! Be right back!" She ran down the hallway and found her rainbow monkey on her bookshelf. "Hmmm…" Kuki hugged it. "Wally, I almost forgot you! I've got to take better care of you. Don't worry, though- -"

"Ku-u-ki!" She heard from the hallway. "Did you find it?"

"Yeah, don't worry!" She cast a quick glance around her room, and finding that there was nothing more she still needed, headed for the door. "Bye, room!" She whispered, and closed the loud door one last time.

"Hey Mushi, coming?" Kuki peeked around the corner into her little sister's room.

"Yeah, I guess. Let's go!" Mushi smiled. They headed out of the door and left the keys in the landlord's mailbox.

"Goodbye, Tokyo apartment! Off to greener pastures!" Both the girls shouted out loud, something they had made up the day they had heard they were moving. They giggled and chatted on the way down the stairs, their voices echoing up and down the entire apartment building.

When they reached the entrance, Kuki felt wonderful. The sky was a velvety dark blue, and the sounds of the city were hushed and sounded tired.

They all got in the car, and drove away, quietly. Kuki sat at the window, streetlights going by, streaking her face with yellow lights. Her body felt tired but warm, as if she was still in bed. She hugged her rainbow monkey tightly, and smelled it. It was old, but it smelled good. Not clean, like laundry detergent. Not anything like laundry detergent. It smelled warm and comfortable. It smelled happy and… far away. It seemed as though there was something in it, something that always helped her remember the best time of her life.

**Flashback**

_"Leave yo' team behind, o' we'll put yo' behind in the school yearbook."_

_Wh-what does that mean?_

_I don' kno- - awww… is that…?_

_What?_

_Is that Nigel's heinie!_

What!_ Lemme see! … Whoa, that is one big butt!_

_Oh! Ohohohohohoh! Give it! Whoa! Whoaaaa!_

_Hehehe… How'd they get a camera big enough to fit that butt!_

_Aww, c'mon… guys… GUYS, we gotta do somethin'! _

_You're right, numbuh five… we gotta get to the BOTTOM of this!_

_Y'know, if I were numbuh one, I'd just turn the other cheek! BWAHAHAHAAA!_

_That is NOT gonna fit in the yearbook!_

… _Unless they put a BIG section in the rear!_

Kuki smiled. Who was she talking to? Who was making all those jokes? Who was numbuh One? Who was numbuh Five? She hugged her teddy tighter and pushed the questions away from her mind.

She looked over at Mushi. She was asleep. She was leaning against the backpacks, which separated her and her sister, snoring quietly.

Kuki smiled and pushed a strand of hair away from Mushi's face. Her sister was so sweet. Then she snuggled down in her long, black jacket, and let her mind wander.

**Flashback**

Erm, numbuh Three? I know this moight be the end, so… I wonted to tell you… that… 

_Oh, it's ok numbuh Four! I always knew you liked rainbow monkeys! _

_No! No, it-it's not that- - _

"Kuki-Chan! Mushi-Chan! We're here!"

"Huh?" Kuki looked around, the cold air blowing in her open car door. Mushi was rubbing her eyes. "Yayy! C'mon, Mushi, we're at the airport!" Kuki slung her bright green backpack over her shoulder, and handed Mushi her yellow one as she got out.

"Thanks!" Mushi said cheerily, as if she wasn't woken from her beauty sleep a moment ago.

The airport was big and crowded. The Japanese family walked through the big glass doors, leaving Japan for a long time.

"We have arrived safely at Cleveland airport, please wait until the aircraft has completely stopped before taking off your seatbelts." The pilot said over the speakers.

Kuki poked her sister awake. "Mushi, we're here!" Kuki and Mushi both squealed with delight, much to the embarrassment of their parents.

They walked out of the big airplane, carrying their backpacks, and made their way to their baggage.

They sang along to the Christmas carols that played on the speakers, and when they got their baggage, piled into their new car.

"So, girls, what do you think?" Their father asked, as he started the engine.

"It's great! I can't believe we're actually here!" Kuki exclaimed.

"And… it's snowing!" Mushi pointed outside, the white snowflakes dancing against the whiter landscape.

"Honey, would you mind stopping at the supermarket? I would like to make…" Genkei leaned in towards her husband and whispered something. "… When we get there."

Immediately her two daughters started nagging her to tell them what she was going to make. They couldn't get a word out of her, though.

"Mom, is the house we're going to live in already furnished?" Kuki asked, after they had gone by the supermarket.

"Well, I think you're about to find out…" Genkei pointed at a big, pretty suburban house, covered in snow.

The two youngest girls of the family started screaming.

They were still shouting as they ran down the walkway, to the porch, dragging their parents to it.

"Open it! Openitopenitopenitopenit! Ooooopen iiiiit!" Mushi screamed, but her parents didn't listen to her pleas immediately.

Sloooowly their father took the keys from his pocket.

Sloooowly he picked the one for the door.

Sloooowly he brought it to the keyhole…

_Click. _

"Oops, I seem to have chosen the wrong key…" Their father smirked.

Two certain Japanese girls threatened to scream until the neighbours called the police.

It was dark in the house. The shutters were closed, and it was cold.

Mushi opened the shutters.

Kuki turned up the heat.

Genkei escaped to the kitchen to make the Mystery Treat.

Kani called the former owners of the house that they had arrived.

While the house was still warming up downstairs, Mushi and Kuki raced upstairs to claim rooms.

"Ahhh… this room has 'Kuki' written all over it!" Kuki jumped on the springy bed and dumped her backpack on the floor.

"Come and see my room, sissy!" Mushi shouted from across the hall. Kuki poked her head into Mushi's purple and yellow room. "Pretty, isn't it?"

"You know," Kuki said, inviting herself to sit on Mushi's bed, "This is really weird. Both of our rooms look like they were made for us!"

"That's because we've lived here before, silly!"

"Really? Hey, yeah! I kinda remember this place!"

"Kuki-Chan! Mushi-Chan! There's a surprise for you!" Their mother's voice came from downstairs. The two sisters jumped up and shouted that they were coming.

"Yayy! Hot chocolate!" They shouted. Their father shook his head and mumbled something about them shouting too much.

"Well," Kuki stated, burning her tongue on the hot chocolate, "Now that we don't live in an apartment where if we raise our voices just above the tiniest whisper our neighbours would pound on the walls telling us to shut up or they'll call the police, we just want to take advantage of it."

"Yes, well, if you don't stop shouting all the time, _I'll _call the police!" Kani complained, covering his ears, making the rest of his family laugh.

"It's a pity we can't be with our family through December," Genkei sighed. "Especially for you, Kuki. Yes, Takaya was so fond of you."

Kuki started feeling uncomfortable. Takaya was a friend of theirs, and whenever he saw Kuki, he flirted with her even when she told him to get lost. She had met him on the airport when she arrived in Japan from Cleveland, and the minute she saw him she knew he was no good. For some reason. She shook her head and tried to change the subject.

"I'm excited to be celebrating Christmas here. Can we do it with Christmas trees, presents, and- - oh, can we have a nativity scene? Pleeeeaaaase?"

"Yeah, can we have presents?" Mushi joined in.

"Pleeeaaaaaaaase?" They pleaded together.

"Of course. Now go unpack your bags, you are going to your new school tomorrow." Kani reminded them, and his children ran upstairs.

"Hehe… works every time!" Kuki smiled at her sister, and they parted, each going to their own rooms. It didn't take long for them to unpack their backpacks, but Kuki went on to make her bed with bright green sheets and an old pillowcase with orange flowers on it. It matched her old rainbow monkey perfectly, and she sat it up on her pillow.

"Hey sissy?" Mushi poked her head into Kuki's room. "Daddy says we should- -" Her eyes widened. "Oh sissy, your room looks so pretty!" She squealed and came into Kuki's room. "Can I help?"

"No thanks Mushi. I just need to hang up this skirt and… voila!" Kuki closed her suitcase and slid it under her full-sized bed. "There! Done!" She put her hands on her hips and inspected her room. The carpeting was purple and very soft, and the walls were extremely light pink. Most of her furniture was light honey-coloured wood, and her desk was pushed against the window, having a perfect view of the backyard. Kuki walked towards the window and traced a long-nailed finger along it.

"It's so pretty outside."

"Yeah… oh, Kuki! Daddy said we should go outside and ring doorbells, so that we get to meet some of our old friends!"

"Our friends lived here in the street?" Kuki asked. "Well come on, Mushi! Let's go meet them!" She shouted, and pulled her little sister along after her. They pulled on their coats, Kuki a long black one that reached her mid-calf, and Mushi wearing Kuki's old rainbow monkeys coat, pink with rainbows at the hood and cuffs. As soon as they stepped out, Mushi rushed forward and pelted her sister with snowballs.

"Ahh! Hey!" Kuki exclaimed. She grabbed a handful of snow herself and threw it at her sis, who dodged it. It didn't continue like that, though, and soon both the girls were covered in equally as much snow.

They finally called a truce, and got to ringing doorbells.

First house:

"Well now, isn't that sweet? Carol singers!"

"Uhm, excuse me, we're not carol singers."

"WELL THEN GET LOST!"

Slam! 

"… ooookayyy…"

Second house:

"Hi, we're Kuki and Mushi Sanban and we- -"

"Are you gonna take off your coat?" The little girl interrupted.

"What! Of course not!" Mushi cleared her throat and continued from where her sister left off. "We just moved here and- -"

"Gimme your coat!" the girl jumped on Mushi, tried to steal the pretty coat and screamed a huge battle cry.

The girl's mother rushed out and took her child in her arms. "How dare you attack my baby!"

"But, miss, we were just- -"

"Stay away from her, you hear?"

Slam! 

"…ooookayyy…"

Third house:

"We're Kuki and Mushi Sanban- -"

"Eh? What? Well get lost, ya see? We don't want any advertisers here, ya got that?" said an old woman with a hunchback and an ugly yellow pair of glasses.

Slam! 

From behind the door they heard, "Grandma, what did mom say about shooing visitors away?"

A tall, thin boy not much older than Kuki opened the door. "Sorry about my grandma. She's… she's a pain." The boy smiled apologetically. "Hey… do I know you?"

**Flashback**

Hey numbuh Two, look what I found! 

_Not now, numbuh Three, I'm busy._

_But I found something! Please? Please please please pleeeaase?"_

_All right, all right, I'm coming!_

_Over here!_

_What is it- - …It's a baby! _

"So, do you want to come in? Can I take your coats?" He asked.

"Uhh… sure! Thanks!" Kuki smiled. She had been getting the idea that this neighbourhood was filled with psychologically challenged people, but this boy sure did change her mind.

"I haven't seen you around here- -" The boy started, but Mushi interrupted him.

"We just moved here from Japan!"

"Oh, I'm sorry, you must miss your home." The boy said sympathetically. "I'm Hoagie, by the way."

Kuki smiled even wider. "I'm Kuki, and this is my little sister, Mushi. I don't miss Japan that much, actually. We bought a house here, and we actually used to live in it, and now we're back."

"Oh, well, welcome back then. You want something to eat?"

"I'm fine, thanks." Kuki replied politely. Mushi scowled up at her sister. _She _sure wanted something to eat! This house smelled of chocolate chip cookies, and she was hungry for some of that.

"Are you sure? We have cookies."

Kuki hesitated a little too long, and Hoagie left to get some.

"Why do you always have to refuse, Kuki?"

"Well, we get cookies anyway, don't we? Besides, it was polite."

Hoagie came back, his mother and a younger boy following.

"Why, hello there! Isn't it nice of you to stop by?" The mother asked. Kuki instantly liked her. "I'm Hoagie's mom, Mrs. Gilligan. Come in the living room, it's so cold out here!"

So the girls took off their coats and the other boy took them. He looked around 12.

"HI! I'm Mushi. Who are you?" Mushi asked the boy.

"I'm Tommy. Come on, let's go to the living room!" He said, and they followed him.

"Wow…" Mushi whispered in Japanese. "Their living room is like a museum." Kuki giggled.

Mushi was right. The room was covered in pictures; all of the walls had at least fifteen photos of people, in all shapes and sizes. There were even some in black and white.

Mrs. Gilligan invited them to sit down on the soft couches. They got cold milk and chocolate chip cookies. It was delicious.

"Hey Mushi, wanna come upstairs?" Tommy asked.

"Sure!"

"Come on then."

"So, were are you going to school?" Hoagie asked.

"Ah, it's… Cleveland high?" Kuki said sheepishly. She wasn't quite sure.

"Yeah, I go there too." Hoagie replied.

Mrs. Gilligan got up. "I'm sorry um, Kuki? I've got to check how my pot roast is doing. I'll be right back!" Kuki smiled and nodded.

"I like your mom." Kuki started.

"Thanks."

Kuki got up and studied one picture. It was a pilot, she could tell. "Who's this?"

"It… _was_… my dad…"

_It was? _"Ohhh… I'm sorry Hoagie."

"No… it's…"

"I'm sure you miss him."

"Yeah. Well, he died when I was very little. I never knew him."

"Oh… "

"I was named after him."

"_Oh…"_

… silence…

Kuki looked on. She came to an archway and looked in.

It was a big dining room. There was a long table, and a lot of chairs. There was something weird about the table. Kuki's eyes widened when suddenly she saw that the dining room was filled with people. She recognized all of them. Her whole family was there, at least three or four years younger. Hoagie's whole family was there, too.

_Would you two stop bickering! _She recognized her father's voice. It sounded different, though. Not only younger, but also far away. It felt as though mist had come in the house, all the things she saw were unclear and looked fogged over.

_I hear voices… as if someone's putting a hundred tapes on rewind… I can't understand any of them… _ The world felt like it was spinning. Kuki wanted to throw up.

_I never had any dolls…_ "Mom?" Kuki asked. Hadn't her mom just said that? She heard someone calling her. It grabbed onto her shoulders tightly, shaking her.

_I can give it to you after dinner… _Kuki heard a cheerful, high-pitched voice say. _Wait… is that me?_ She saw a happy girl in a green sweater, hugging a rainbow monkey in a suit.

What's happening to me? Where am I? What's wrong with me? 

Then… darkness.


	3. Where am I?

_What's happening to me? What's wrong with me? _

_I can't see anything. I can't feel anything. Where am I? I feel as if I'm asleep. I feel as though I'm being rocked back and forth, as if I were on a boat. _

_When I try to move, I can't. Ugh… I'm so tired… if I _am _asleep, why doesn't time pass quickly? Is it? If I'm asleep, how can I think clearly? Is this a dream?_

_What happened? I was looking at the pictures in Hoagie's living room, when I found a new room. Was I already dreaming? Is it all a dream? Maybe I'm lying in my bed in Japan, and I'm just making everything up. _

… _No. That isn't possible. I've felt everything so clearly since my mom announced we'd be moving. It wasn't a dream, I'm sure of that. But who did I see in the dining room? It was my family, right? I even saw myself. But… _

… _I couldn't have seen myself! It seemed so real, even if it did feel far away. I saw everything so unclearly, like a dream I've had that I'm trying to remember. _

_Owww… the pain… it felt so weird, standing there. It felt like I was standing in front of a tidal wave, the realization that something wasn't right slowly coming up to me. I could feel it like I would be able to see the tidal wave coming to me, but I couldn't get away._

_Did I want to? I don't think I did. The weird thing was the feeling._

_It was like a movie behind a window. The window was like the front window of a car, only I was standing up and the window was straight. I saw the empty dining room, but before I noticed it, the car lurched forward. I didn't stumble backwards, I just felt scared. Scared of what was coming. I had no idea what it was. Meh… I still don't… _

_But I was racing forwards, but the car didn't slow down. I had the same feeling as if I were about to crash into it. The car stopped suddenly, and I felt a feeling of shock when I saw the people who were sitting at the table._

_It was like floodwaters. It takes a long time until it comes, but I could feel something was happening. And then it hits me, suddenly, like a wave. It hits so hard it hurts, and then it laps gently at my knees, telling me it's real. _

_I'm in pain. As if the car stopped so suddenly I crashed against the window. As if the wave swept me away completely._

_I heard people saying random things. I heard my dad, and afterwards my mom. Then I heard myself. Am I going insane?_

_No, I'm not. I don't know a lot of things, but I know that I am not insane. It was like a dream, but somehow I know it's more than that. _

_It was like someone was telling me a story. And then just when I started understanding what was happening, it all went black. It was so horrible. I felt almost as though I was about to say, 'Oh, I remember this.' But then the storyteller got interrupted, and it all went black. _

I heard a scream. Not a horror scream, just the scream of a shocked little girl. Something terrible must have happened. Was I the one screaming? I have a feeling as though I was the one screaming.

It felt… as though the blackness was part of the story.

_Ugh, I wish I would just WAKE UP! _

… _If I'm even asleep. _

_Wait… where's Mushi? Is she here, sitting at my bedside?_

… _If she is, she had better wake me up. _

_What about Mom and Dad? Are they worried about me?_

_I bet._

_I wonder where I am. I wonder if I'm at home, or if I'm still at Hoagie's. Maybe time's just going super fast and my brain's just amusing itself. _

_Mayyybe… _

_Maybe I'm thinking all this for a reason! Maybe this time is given to me so I can sort things out! Maybe- -_

"Kuki!"

"Mom?" Kuki tried opening her eyes, but she couldn't.

"Yes, Kuki, I'm right here. Are you all right?"

"Mmph…" Kuki felt like pulling the blankets over her head and going back to sleep. "What happened to me, mom? Where am I?"

"You're at home, Kuki. A nice boy from down the street brought you here. Said you had just passed out on the floor."

"Mom, I can't open my eyes. What's wrong with me?"

"You're just tired, dear. Get some rest."

Suddenly Kuki found the strength to sit up. She opened her eyes. She was in her room. Just when she was about to object on her mother being so you-are-tired-and-you-need-rest-y, She smelled something.

Snif. Snif.

"Mmmm… what smells like chocolate?"

Her mom smiled. "Hot cocoa, dear." She handed a funny Garfield mug to Kuki, who brought it to her lips.

"Hmmmmm…"

Her mom stood up to go. "Come downstairs, Daddy's making dinner."

"Wait, mom!"

"Yes, Kuki-Chan?"

"Where's Mushi? How long have I been out?"

"Mushi's coming in a minute, she's still playing at the… what's their name…?"

"The Gilligans?"

Gengkei looked thoughtful for a moment.

"Mom? What's wrong?"

"…Nothing, nothing. Anyways, you've been unconscious for 2 hours. Take a shower, Kuki-Chan. It will help you feel better." Her mother kissed the top of Kuki's head and left.

Kuki sipped the chocolaty goodness until it was done. She gathered the things she'd need for the shower: two towels (one for her hair, and one for her body), bath gel, lotion, shampoo…

She didn't have to look for the bathroom; in fact, she knew exactly where it was. It was a fun bathroom. Her parents (or the former owners) had decorated it completely in a cow/meadow theme. The floor was tiled with big, square, black and white tiles, and the walls where tiled white with an occasional black splotch. There was a black counter with white drawers, and on top of it was the sink, which actually looked like a glass bowl. The mirror was simple, oval, with a black rim. There where cow-splotched carpets on the floor that your feet just sank into. There were Swiss looking scenes of cows grazing in green meadows hanging on the walls, and a funny little man who wheeled his unicycle whenever you took a piece of toilet paper.

Kuki placed her towels on the toilet seat (with the top down) and put the shampoos, conditioners and soaps in the shower, and got in herself. The water felt warm and refreshing, and it made Kuki feel up to anything.

"Hello?"

Hoagie looked up from his Algebra homework. His mom had just picked up the phone.

"Why hello, Mrs. Sanban!"

Ahhh… so that's what it was.

"She's ok? Aha. Ok, good! Alright. Thanks for calling. Ok. Goodbye… Gengkei."

Click. 

"She's ok, Hoagie."

"Ok, good." He was quiet, but he didn't continue his homework.

"Hoagie, what's wrong?"

"I dunno, mom. I just… feel like I've seen that girl before…"

**Flashback**

"Oh, would you just drop it numbuh Two!" 

**End Flashback**

"Maybe you have." His mom placed a chubby hand on his shoulder.

"She said she used to live here, but she moved away when she was 12."

"Then you must have seen her before! I talked to her mom, she said she went to Cleveland Elementary, just like you."

"Yeah…" He tried concentrating on his homework, but failed.

"… Mom? Do you know why she just fainted like that?"

"Like what?"

"She just stood there for a while, staring at the dining room." Hoagie remembered. "Her eyes looked kinda glazed over, and soon she started rolling her eyes and leaning against the wall, as if she couldn't support herself. I grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her, but she didn't snap out of it!" He looked at his mom, worried. "What did I do wrong?"

"Hoagie! Don't worry. You didn't do anything wrong. It was good that you shook her. Go on, tell me the rest."

"Well, she just stood there and started wavering, and the minute I let go of her shoulders, she closed her eyes tightly and screamed," He stared at his notebook. "Then she fell on the floor."

Mrs. Gilligan sighed.

"Well, Hoagie, I know I shouldn't- -"

"Mom! Finished my homework!" Tommy ran in the kitchen, waving a black notebook with 'the Tommy' written on it in white out.

"That's nice, Tom, please put it in your backpack right away, or you might forget it."

"Ok, mom… hey, what's with Hoagie?"

"I guess I'm kinda confused about Kuki, that's all…"

Tommy grinned evilly. "Ooooo… Hoagie's got a girlfriend, Hoagie's got a girlfriend!"

"Shut it, Tommy!" Hoagie got up angrily.

"Hoagie and Kuki, sittin' in a tree, K-I-S-S- -"

"Tommy, it's not like you didn't just invite her to play in your room!"

"Yeah, but that's different, I'm not fretting over her like I'm in lo-o-o-ve…" the little boy stood at a safe distance away from his brother and started making kissing noises.

Hoagie lost it. If his mom didn't immediately scold them both, Tommy would have been in pain within 5 seconds.

"Hoagie! Tommy! _What _do you two think you're doing!" She yelled. Both of her sons immediately started to yell at her and at each other. "Quiet! Do you two have any idea of how ashamed your father would be of you!"

They shut up.

"Tommy, do _not _make fun of your brother like that anymore!" She switched her gaze to Hoagie. "And don't even _think _of hurting your brother! Neither of you will fight in this house! Understood?"

Hoagie and Tommy nodded, eyes on the floor.

"Now both of you, to your rooms. If you have finished your homework, you can study." The boys gathered their school supplies and trudged up the stairs. "I'll call you when dinner's ready."

Hoagie's room: dark, now that it was evening. The floor was wood herringbone panelling, and the walls where white. Shelves filled with model airplanes hung above his full-sized bed. The carpet was light blue, matching his bed covers. He sat on his swivel chair, turning around in circles. He had finished his math homework. He was sitting in front of his wooden desk, trying to concentrate on the jumble of integers in front of him. He had only had math homework, so he only took his math books home from school.

He tried studying. He had read through his book twice, and had read through his math notebook three times. He just couldn't concentrate.

He stood up; stretched. He walked over to his bookcase, which was filled with Flight Simulator handbooks and other piloting books, and scrapbooks with pictures and sayings of his father that his mom had put together for him. He reached up and grabbed an old-looking photo album that he kept all the way on top of the bookcase, where his short mom and brother couldn't reach. Sometimes being this tall was handy.

He rolled some weights off of a recliner and sat down. He blew dust off of the album; he hadn't looked at this for a while. Either that, or he never dusted his room. Probably the latter.

"Ahhh… "

She was pretty. She was pasted all over the album, all the pages where filled with old school photos of her. Seventh grade, eighth grade… he went through it quickly.

There it is. Ninth grade. He stared at the class picture. He remembered that day so well. It was a bright fall day, red and golden leaves where falling from the trees in happy spirals, and the wind picked them up gently and swirled them all over the playground.

The rest of the school was in class; only the ninth graders got to go out. Everyone was dressed as coolly as possible because it was picture day.

Hoagie got to stand beside her.

She was almost as tall as Hoagie was!

She was dressed a lot prettier than usual; her hair, which was usually in a tight, long braid, was flowing in gentle waves to her waist and she wasn't wearing her hat. He knew that she probably resented the fact of having to wear a dress. Somehow.

He had never talked to her. Well, not recently. He thought he had talked to her long ago, but he doubted it. She was too beautiful. The day the picture was taken she was wearing a short dress, it came to a little above her knee. It was burgundy, with white stripes running along the sides and her usual white shoes. She wore pretty but natural makeup, gold bracelets and gold hoop earrings.

Her dark skin looked so flawless and so soft, he wanted to touch it so badly. Once her arm brushed lightly against his. He felt like he was melting inside.

He couldn't tear his eyes away from that picture, the whole class looked goofy around her. She was smiling a dazzling white smile, her head cocked a little and her eyebrows a little uneven. He loved everything about her; she was the most beautiful, the coolest, and the funniest ever. He had known her for a long time. He remembered when they where little that they had met.

… _If only she would think of me the way I think of her… _

That wasn't likely, he would always think. He did a lot of exercises every three days, but he was still a little lanky. He had so many freckles, and he wore glasses. They were tinted yellow, but still he thought he looked so dorky.

"Hoagie! Tommy! Dinnertime!"

"Coming mom!" He closed the album and put it away.

"Goodbye… Abby…"


	4. Answer My Dreams

**Merry Christmas! I haven't updated in like, forever, I know. But here's the next chappie, and I''m not quite sure whether or not operatives have to burn any of their belongings that might remind them of the KND, but it'll be that way in my story. **

**Oh yeah! I forgot to post a disclaimer the last three chappies... gulp. Hmm... maybe Mr War will forgive me... it's my first fanficcy anyway.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own KND, or any other thingees I've used in this fanfic. times 4(for the other chapters)**

**... And thanks soooooooooo much for all the reviewers! especially you, Blue-Eyed-4. Hope you enjoy the new chapter! I don't really know where I'm going with this story, give me suggestions if you like, right now though, I'm concentrating on Kooks...**

* * *

Kuki sighed and got out of bed. She couldn't sleep. She was very tired but she just couldn't sleep. 

She was excited. Excited about tomorrow, and, yes, a little nervous.

Tomorrow she'd be going to her new school. All the people she knew before from Cleveland Elementary had probably moved on to Cleveland high. She would see all her old friends again.

But what if I've changed too much? What if they've changed too much? Will they accept me back? What if they've moved, too?

_What if I didn't have any friends?_

The thought struck her hard. If she couldn't remember her friends, that meant she didn't have any, right?

She walked to her window and looked out into the night. The snow glittered by the yellow lamplight and graced the trees.

The sight of those trees took Kuki's breath away. They where leafless by now, and looked black, camouflaged against the darkness. The bright snow looked like fine lace, hanging in the cold, crisp winter air.

Her breath became smoke against the window. She drew a heart in that mist, and watched it disappear slowly.

No… I had friends.

She knew she did, for sure. She remembered the laughs, the comforting hugs, the video games…

She rubbed her arms with her hands, realizing it was cold.

It must be past ten. That would be why the heating is off.

She snuggled down deep into her still warm blankets and tried to go to sleep. Something haunted her, as well.

The thought of something she loved dearly, lost, and coming back to her as a ghost, slowly rising up out of cold, hard, wooden floors.

Kuki guessed it was just her common sense to let it go and just go to sleep, but it was more.

_"… Making with da Z's, baby!"_

"What?" Kuki shot up, forgetting the cold. Who had talked to her?

_"… 'cause that's where Numbuh Five's headin'!"_

It was coming closer now. She had had these flashbacks since she left Cleveland, but now it felt real. She had never really believed it; never really paid attention to it, but she knew now for sure it was real. She was loved.

But she didn't know by who.

The whole house was quiet and dark, everyone but Kuki was asleep.

She crept to the end of the hall in silence, stopping right in front of her parent's bedroom's door. A small bathroom was near; she went in. She took the ladder in the corner, placed it in the middle of the hall. Climbing up, she could discern a large square on the ceiling.

Praying that the trapdoor wouldn't be too loud, she pushed upwards.

It swung open effortlessly. Almost too easily. She caught it right before it hit the floor of the attic, and set it down carefully.

The attic was dark, dirty, and freezing. The floor was made of uneven, splintery planks, and there were spider webs everywhere. Kuki shivered. There where boxes everywhere. Where should she start?

Maybe… see what they're all marked. That might give me a clue.

She made her way towards the boxes the farthest away from her. She could see from far away, in big, Japanese writing, that they were marked, "Photos."

The first pictures she saw where all baby pictures. No good. She moved on to the second box. She could see her in Japan, probably before she even knew that a place called Cleveland existed.

I'm not getting anywhere!

Right before she wanted to move on to the next box, she spotted something.

_Waaiiit… that's the Japan airport behind me!_

Sure enough, the next picture was one where she was waving to the camera, right in front of Cleveland Eementary. She was covering up the "l" with her head.

As she went through them, she found some that gave her huge clues to who she was. Sometimes she could have sworn that she saw the people in the pictures move.

She came by an album that was marked, "Kuki-Chan's Ninth Birthday Party"

_I gotta make a scrapbook of all of this…_

She saw one of herself waving at the camera brightly (as usual), and five kids sitting around her: one beautiful African girl, politely eating her Japanese dinner although still being a little unhandy with chopsticks, a pale, bald boy, wielding chopsticks as if he had done some kind of research about them, _Hoagie_, a little chunky, eating with knife and fork and looking like he ate anything alive or dead anyway so he probably didn't even care what it tasted like, and another boy, short, scrawny and blond-haired, poking his food with one chopstick as if he thought it was some kind of bug, eyes big and tongue hanging out.

It made her giggle. But why was Hoagie in there? And… he looked so different… how did she even recognize him?

She shrugged and turned the page, and saw two big photos: one where she was unpacking her gifts, almost all of them stuffed animals, but also other, more intellectual ones: video games. The other one was obviously one of the games they played: spin the bottle. The blond haired boy was kissing her on the cheek, blushing furiously, and she herself had her hand to her mouth, obviously giggling. All the others where laughing their heads off.

She put all the photos she had seen that where helpful in the album, which she put under her arm. She climbed back down the ladder; put it away. She stored the photos in her suitcase, which she stored, in turn, under her bed.

She stretched and yawned widely.

_Now… I'm satisfied. I'm not sure why I don't remember any of the photos. But at least I have somewhere to start…_

She snuggled deep in her bed, which had now completely cooled off, and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

_Something hit her. It knocked the wind out of her; she just lay there trying to catch her breath. It burned her like fire… it was fire. She could hear more of it, crackling around her._

_Then her sight came. A burning room, it was huge, it looked like the entrance hall of a palace, with majestic banners hanging from the ceiling. They where all on fire. Someone approached her, burning, buthe wasn'tin pain. She knew who he was. She couldn't look at him; he was brighter than all of the fires in the room, yet his fires where a deep red._

_Her eyes stung with tears but she couldn't cry. She was afraid, scared out of her mind, but she couldn't run. Another hit, across her stomach. She was swept away, her belly felt like it was burning up inside. She kept flying until finally she hit the wall. She slid down, trying desperately to breathe, and expected the final blow. In a moment, it would all be over._

_Her enemy said nothing._

_"Goodbye, Numbuh Four… "_

_A sharp sound that definitely didn't come from him shocked her awake._

_"Eat this!" She heard a girl shout, and her enemy cried out in pain. Cold, fresh water sprayed on her face._

_She dared open her eyes a crack, just to see what was happening. A boy… the boy she had seen in the pictures was running towards her._

_"Don't worry Kooks. I've got ya." He picked her up gently. She saw two other kids firing cold water and ice cream at him, then a small, dinky-looking jet fly low along the ground, pelting him with ice cubes. She could look at whoever he was now; he wasn't on fire anymore. He was kneeling down on the floor in pain. He was… black. Completely black, he looked like a shadow, a silhouette._

_She was set down on the floor gently, but she couldn't take it. Her back felt like she had been flogged. She screamed out in pain, causing many of them to turn, alarmed. The girl whom she had heard earlier set down her water hose and rushed to her side._

_"Take the hose, Numbuh Four. I got her."_

_The boy hesitated a moment, then obeyed._

_"Don' worry, Kuki, Abby's right here."_

_"It hurts!"_

_"Where does it hurt, Kuki? Tell me, Abby will fix it." She cooed softly and calmly._

_"M-my back! Help me, Abby! I-I need water! I-I'm hurting so bad, Abby! Help m-me!" She cried, and finally her tears came, spilling on her burning cheeks._

_"Sit up, gurl. Lemme see yo' back." Abby, as she had already guessed she was called, pulled her up by her shoulders. "Alright, now jus' hold that, ok?" She felt soft hands pull up the back of her sweater, then heard Abby gasp. "Oh, he got ya bad, gurl. We gotta get ya to the Moonbase fast." Abby got up._

_"N-no! Don't go, Abbs!" She caught her by her hand._

_"Aw, gurl, I'm sorry. I gotta get Numbuh Two to at least call you a flight."_

_She sobbed. She almost saw Abby cry. But she caught herself, smiled bravely, and turned to Numbuh One._

_"Numbuh Three's badly wounded, Numbuh One. We gotta get her to the Moonbase as fast as we can."_

_"W-we've almost got him, Numbuh Five! Grab your- -"_

_"Numbuh One how could you? I'm getting my communicator, and I'll call for extra troops- -"_

_"Good, Numbuh Five. We really need that. Tell Numbuh 86 we've almost got him."_

_"- -AS WELL AS A SICKBAY TRANSPORT." She continued, and took from her belt an old piece of telephone with a fork strung on to it._

_She walked away from Numbuh One and sat down next to Kuki._

_"Yes… this is Numbuh Five of Sector V. We have an emergency. Calling for extra troops at the Delightful's castle. Request immediate response." She paused._

_"The Delightful's Castle? I'll hook you up to Numbuh 86." A boy's voice called. She could hear several beeps. "I'm sorry, is it a REAL emergency? Numbuh 86 is in bed."_

_"Yes it is a real emergency! We've got a wounded operative!"_

_"Well then, what about you're medical officer?"_

_"The wounded operative is our medical officer! Think we haven't thought of that, foo'?" Abby cried hoarsely._

_Some more beeps; two clicks. Then a shrill voice with a heavy Irish accent was heard on the communicator._

_"Why do ye need troops there, Number Five?" _

_"We were on a rescue mission for Numbuh Three. She was captured by Father. We have him now and are at an advantage."_

_"Good. What state is Number Three in?"_

_"Very bad, Numbuh 86. Request you send transport immediately. Burn marks everywhere."_

_"Ah… granted. I suspect you need troops with especially cold ammo?"_

_"Yeah. And extra ammo for us. Please hurry, Numbuh 86. I can't even lay Numbuh Three down!"_

_"Good thing you where there on time. Moonbase out."_

_Abby put away her communicator. She pulled out her elastic, even though she was sweating and hot from the flames. She put it in a high ponytail in Numbuh Three's hair and whispered, "They're comin' in for ya gurl. You'll be ok. I promise."_

* * *

**There you be going! I won't update for a while, even though you might wanna know WHYYYY Kuki's got KND evidence right in her attic... Ahhh won't tell ya now though. Next chapter will probably take even longer than this one. The stupid vacation bungalow park I'm staying in doesn't even have an internet cafe, so I hafta wait till we get a break from visting relatives & friends of mah parents to travel to a nearby city where they do have an internet cafe and mess around there... and besides, I need time to write a chapter on Word, so I need a place where my dad doesn't barge in and say time to go home now! And then I hafta say wait I hafta put this masterpeice(snicker...) on the internet and then the internet gets stuck and my dad gets all mad because it's late an' blahh blahhh blahhhhhhhhhh... **

**By the way, I don't expect you to understand any of that. Do you think I should bring the rating down? I don't think this qualifies for Romance/General anymore, either. Tell me what I should do about that, ok? I want it to be Action/Adventure, but it's getting alittle more angsty than I thought. PLUSSSSSSSS I wanna stuff in some Romance too! AAAAAAAAAA...**


	5. Amethyst

**Ok, peoples, prepare for some maaaajor fluff! **

* * *

_Sunlight filters through my window._

_I hear my sister playing basketball outside._

_Hard, hollow sounds fill my ears. _

_Everything reminds me of him: the warmth of his smile, like the winter sun. So warm, yet hard as steel, like the reality of the thoughts I have…_

_I wouldn't be able to tell him, even if I tried._

_I wouldn't be able to reach him, to love him, he doesn't want me._

_He thinks he wants me, but he doesn't._

_He only wants my sister._

_It always was like this, it will never change._

Abby groaned. She threw her journal away, under her bed. She'd find it back when she had some inspiration for a new poem.

_... Not like I've had any o' dat lately…_

It wasn't easy concentrating on anything, not for Abby. Before ninth grade, she had had no problems with that at all.

… Until she came back from summer vacation. He was back, and she couldn't help noticing him. She then found out that she couldn't hide it anymore. She had a huge crush on Hoagie Gilligan.

_Crud._

He was a little tanned, he was tall, and he had actually learned the rules of all the sports she liked. He had short, light brown hair that made her fingertips ache for a single touch. And… what had made her admit her crush to herself… the muscles…

No, she was not a bobblehead. She was everything but a bobblehead. She was the top of her class, she was an expert in Karate, she was a tomboyish, strong, independent 14-year-old.

There was just something about him that was different. Something that made her a giddy, happy go lucky littlegirl around him.

She was about to grab her journal again and write about him, when her sister, Cree, peeked into her room.

"Wanna shoot some hoops?"

Abby noticed a basketball under her sister's arm. "Sure, why not?"

Cree smiled, and Abby got up and followed her outside.

* * *

"I think we should stop now." Cree checked her watch. 7 o'clock."We've been playing for an hour." 

"Ok" Abby puffed. "Phew, I'm wiped!"

Cree tilted her head upwards and laughed that gorgeous laugh.

_The laugh that made Hoagie fall in love with her... _

"You did great! Guess that after school activity really helped!"

"Thanks, Cree... But it was mainly the things you taught me when I was little that made the difference."

Cree grinned. "Now go shower, and fast, Abby!"

Ten minutes later, with a fluffy towel wrapped around her lean body, Abby emerged from the bathroom. She pulled on a pair of dark blue jeans that hugged her small hips, then flared at the bottom, and on top a simple, long sleeved, cranberry shirt. Later she'd pull a black cardi over it, but that was downstairs. 

Just as she was about to pull on a pair of striped socks, her long fingers touched a bit of softyarn around her ankle. Her hands stopped instantly; the sock dropped.

**Flashback**

_The sheets are rough. Her breathing is ragged, but she is awake. Her cheeks are red, striped with painful burn marks. The room is small, cold, quiet. Too quiet. Even too much so for me._

_"Abby..." A quiet sigh, coming from her usually rosy, full lips. Now, they are dry, and a deep, red cut severes her once perfectlower lip. _

_"She's here, gurl, don't worry." I coo from my seat next to her bed._

_"... tommorrow you won't know me." a silent tear rolls down her cheek, stinging every wound as it slowly makes its way to her chin. I can see she's trying to hold back the tears. "Tommorrow you can't help me." _

_I see her, lying there, and I can't help her. It hurts to see her like this, even more than it hurts to see hercry like she normally does,sobbing loudly, waterfalls of tears falling to the ground. But now, she can't sob. It hurts to sob. _

_"... that's why we gotta do dis. I know we ain't allowed to, but Kooks..." I look down and notice I took her hand in mine. "You mean too much to me..." I gulp and place her hand back on the covers of the hospital bed. "And I wanna be friends again, when you come back..."_

_"When is that?" Her voice trembles. She looks up at me like she's done so many times before. Her lovely, dark eyes question mine. _

_"I don't know... " My voice sounds choked up. My eyes fill up with tears "... I don't know... " I can't say anything else. This is the only thing she needs now, and I can't give it to her. I have always been her provider, her protector. I reach for the pair of scissors in her bag, and, crying quietly, pick a strand of silky black hair off of her face. _

_She has fallen into a fitful sleep, and I do the rest in silence._

Abby blinked, and looked at the anklet between her fingers. It fit around her ankle perfectly, and she had never taken it off. It was pretty, made of braided yarn. One strand was navy, another was bright green, and the middle one was a weird plastic tube, filled withshiny black hair.

"Abby's forgotten..." Her nose felt stuffed up from what her mind had just showed her. "I'm sorry, gurl." She whispered through the soundless tears.

_Whoever you are, I'm gonna find you. I promise. _

She closed her eyes and said a prayer, the way her mom told her to whenever she needed help.

"Hey!" Cree's voice sounded a little impatient. "You comin' to breakfast? I'm starved!"

Sigh.

"Yeah, comin'."

* * *

"Hey, Abby!" 

Abby locked her blue bike and turned to see Wally, weaving through crowds of students hanging around the entrance of the school.

Wally was popular; it was hard to believe he had never dated. Nobody knew, except for Abby. He knew he could trust her. He had known her for as long as they both could remember, but didn't become real friends until they found out not only did they live very close to each other, they also attended the same martial arts classes.

He was now sending a threatening glare to some fake platinum blonde who had just gotten a little carried away with her flirting.

"Hey, dude. How's ... uhmmm..." She motioned to the girl standing behind him, who was now caught up in a chat with her friends from the school paper.

"Ugh, don't even talk about it... " He rolled his eyes. "That girl won't take no for an answa'!"

Abby chuckled. "Well, you two do seem to make the perfect match- -" She was snickering at his annoyed expression. It soon changed into a sly grin.

"And how's things with you an' Hoagie?" He was kind enough to keep his voice down at that last word. Abby felt her face getting hot. She looked up at him and noticed his attention fixed on something behind her.

"Wha'?" She turned slowly, somehow scared of what she was about to see.

"Abbs! Quick!" Before she could register that scene before her, Wally had pulled her along and she was caught in a fist fight between him and another boy, a thin japanese girl sitting on the sidewalk, at the verge of sobbing.

"Gurl, what happened?" Abby rushed to her side and helped her up. The girl's hands now covered her face.

"Th-that boy just sneaked up to me, and grabbed me on my way to school." She sniffled. "I managed to break free and run almost all the rest of the way, but when I was almost there he knocked me down!"

The girl was wearing a very long black coat, and Abby could only see the bottom of a pair of light blue jeans and some black sneakers. She put her arm around the girl and squeezed her slightly.

"I'll bring ya to da secretary... afta we beat the crud outta dis creep!" Abby smiled and left her side, but not for long, because Wally was just watching the attacker run away.

The girl sniffled. "Thanks so much." She flicked her shiny, black hair over her shoulder and smiled. "I owe you guys." Her breath caught in her throat when she looked up at them. An athletic, good looking african girl with gold earrings, and a tall, blond boy with deep green eyes, almost piercing through his long bangs.

_They're from the picture! _

Abby stuck out her hand."Abby Lincoln."

The girl shook it and replied, "Kuki Sanban. Call me Kooks."

_"I know we ain't allowed to, but Kooks..." _

"Are you feeling ok, now?"

Kuki stared blankly.

_Idiot! If you can't completely remember why she wuz in dat hospital, she probably doesn't, either!_

"Uh... the guy, I mean." Abby motioned towards the way the attacker whent.

"Oh... yeah, fine. Now, at least." She giggled.

Abby was about to inquire whether or not Wally was going to introduce himself, but found him hopelessly speechless. She cuckled, "I'll, uh, leave you to it..." and slipped away.

"Uhm... Wally." He mumbled finally, and stuck out his hand. She was slightly pale, withalmond-shaped eyes and a cute nose. Her lips where rosy and full, and curved at the corners.

He was staring into her lovely eyes. They where a blackish brown colour, deep and swimmy, reflecting years of loneliness, sadness, but filled with hope. She placed her delicate hand in his rough one. His responded, though not immediately.

_She is so beautiful... her hand is so soft._

She blinked, and smiled. Her eyes glittered amethyst. She blushed at how long he was holding her hand.

_It's like the world is fading out around me... and it's ok, as long as I'm with him..._

* * *

**Awww... they finally found each other. I can imagine you guys being impatient 'n'all, not only for the romance to begin but also for me to FINALLY UPDATE! **

**... so I did. Thanks sooo much to my reviewers! bye!**

**p.s. don't hope for an update any time soon, i'm still houseless. well, I'm actually staying in a friends' flat with my mom, but... well, that isn't exactly home. Sometime in Feb. my situation will be made known. Not all of it, cos I don't want some creep lookin for me... uh, yeah, Ima go let my mom buy a ticket now.**


	6. Divided, is it?

**YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYY! Finally the sweet, sweet whispers of inspiration have reached my ears. Ha. I should be a poet.**

** I KNOW. I've been waiting around too long, and I should've written more as soon as I had a sturdy place to write... but I have recently read a Harry Potter book, and you know how much you get caught up in those. I had sat around months just thinking about writing a Harry Potter fan fic, but I just couldn't start anything new. Then I'd have double responsibilities!**

** And I'm not a very responsible person. Well, sometimes, but that really doesn't matter...  
**

* * *

Kuki flipped through the album absentmindedly. Her day had been pretty normal, for her first day at her new school.Wally looked like he was constantly blushing and stuttered every time he spoke to her. 

But at least he spoke to her.

Well, everything whent normal besides the way Wally had kept staring at her. It was as if he was constantly asking if he knew her before.

But he _did. _He was from the photo.Why couldn't he remember her?

Unless he had the same problem as she did: that he couldn't remember the people he obviously knew. Maybe it was the same for Abby. Kuki saw her eyeing her anklet after P.E., and saw her move her hand to her own ankle.

_I thought yarn anklets where normal._ She had thought, looking down at hers. It was soft from having worn it for so long. Woven out of navy, bright green and... _curly dark brown hair,_ it was pretty unusual, now that she thought of it.

_Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh! I can't believe I didn't notice!_Kuki almost yelled out loud. _That hair is Abby's!_

She bolted downstairs, to the telephone, which, thank heaven, was portable, and rushed back into her room.

"Hello?" A voice much like Abbigail's answered.

"Abby, it's me, Kooks, I- -"

"Whoa, whoa, girl, this isn't Abby." The girl on the other side chuckled. "I'll get her for ya."

Some thumping, shouting, and finally Abby's panting voice could be heard.

"Abby, are you ok?"

"Yeah, yeah, she's fine, an' all."

Kuki sank onto her bed. "I wanted to tell you- -or ask you, or whatever... you were staring at my anklet, weren't you?" Kuki heard her friend catch her breath and hold it. "Before P.E."

"Uhhhmm..." Abby hesitated a second. What was this? Why did she want to know? "_How did you know Abby's phone number!"_

Kuki was a little taken by surprise. This wasn't the answer she was expecting. "I-I..." she stuttered, "... don't know..."

Just a block away, Abby shrugged it off and continued with, "Aww... nevermind.What did ya want to talk to Abby for?" She waited. "Oh, yeah, the anklet... it's dat... it's jus' a little familiar, dat's all."

Kuki hesitated. This didn't answer her questions.

Neither of them hung up. Both were bursting with things to say.

"Uhhh..." Abby started again. "Mine's green, navy and has black hair in it, too."

She had to keep the reciever an inch from ear.

"_WHAT!_" yelled Kuki.

"Kuki? You ok?" Kani poked his head into her room, seeing her nod. "Keep it down." he whispered.

Returning to her conversation, "HOW could you have the exact same colours in your anklet as mine? And plus, mine doesn't even _have _black hair in it- -it has _your hair _in it!"

"That ain't right, girl, we gotta talk!"

"Ummm... yeah. Aren't we already?"

"No, I mean, we need to talk in person!"

"Ahhh... um, ok, you'll come to my house?"

"Sure, I'll be there in 10 minutes."

"Wait!" Kuki cried into the reciever, "you don't know- -"

_Click._

"... Where I live..." she mumbled to the dial tone.

Abby arrived, as expected, a little less than 10 minutes, panting. Kuki opened the door and stood, hands on hips, facing her.

"Aaaalright. Fess up. How do you know where I lived?"

This hit Abby hard. She just sort of ran to Kuki's house, not even thinking about the route. "I dunno. I just kinda knew."

Sigh. "Come on up to my room."

Kuki's room was cozy and warm compared to outside. Abby sat, cross-legged, in the center of the room, about an inch of her disapearing in soft, purple fluff.

"Love your room... it's like I've seen it before."

"I bet you have." When Abby turned to her, Kuki's face was unusually grave. "... I think..." she continued cautiously, "...that we were friends before. Before I moved to Japan."

Abby started shaking her head. "Dat's impossible, Abby's _sure _she hasn't seen you around here."

At this, her host raised her eyebrows. "Oh yeah?" she got up, and tossed her orange rainbow monkey at Abby, who caught it easily. "Guess what his name is?"

The latter examined the plush toy carefully, although her mind was screaming at her that she already knew. It was old, the toy, and bright orange. It was wery soft, and she even noticed a smell wafting up from it. "... Wally."

"Well guessed." Kuki ignored the look on Abby's face, saying _That doesn't mean anything._ "Aaaand... why do you think I named him that?"

"It jus' suits him."

"Do you remember when you were little?"

"Like, five, or somethin'. But after dat, not that much, actually. Especially since my eighth birthday."

"... Say 'five' again..."

_Great. There's a phsycho at school that Wally's in love with, _Abby moaned to herself. _And she happens to like the way I say "five". _

"Five."

Kuki grinned. "Do you keep having..." Her lips screwed into an uncomfortable pose.

"Flashbacks?" asked Abby, suddenly interested. "Yeah. You can keep a secret?"

Kuki nodded and motioned for Abby to sit on her bed. Her guest fiddled with her long, red sleeve. "I'm sittin' in a hard chair. You're lying down, in a hospital bed. You've got..." she swallowed. "... burn marks everywhere. An' cuts. An' you have trouble breathin' an' talkin' an'" Abby sighed. "Thang is, I remember everythang, like it wasn't a dream. But... but it was _like _a dream."

"Abby..." said Kuki. The words just flowed out of her mouth naturally. Like she had rehearsed. Like she had spoken them before. "... tomorrow you won't know me. Tomorrow you can't help me."

Abby held her breath. This was _weird. _How did she know exactly what to say? Unless...

... she was there. She was the one who spoke those words in the first place.

"Ah-whoo." whistled Abby as the truth hit her. "Abby's the one who made them bracelets. I remember cuttin' yo' hair. And tiein' the strang round yo' ankle."

She smiled, and put her arm around the flabberghasted girl next to her. "An' I found ya back. Glad... glad we're back together."

Kuki grinned. There was one more thing she wanted to show her new - old - friend. She lugged out the photo album. Abby raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything as Kuki plooped it on the bed. Then...

"What the...?"

Kuki giggled at her companion's reaction to the first picture, the airport one, and turned a couple of pages to the dinner scene.

"Waaaiiit... that's me, right?"

Kuki nodded. "Yep. And that's Hoagie, there's Wally, and this guy..." Her voice trailed off when she came to the bald boy. "I don't know who this guy is."

Abby snorted. "Dat's da nerd in my homeroom class. Hates Frybingle, yet sits at the front." She shook her head. "I'll never get dat guy."

"We have to talk to him tomorrow." decided Kuki. "Wait... your school isn't... well, you know...?"

Crossing her arms, Abby adopted a stern look. "I'm afraid I don't... speak up, gurl, you can talk to me."

"Well-l-l-l... the school isn't way divided into cliques, is it?" Kuki prayed that she was right. "Because, you know, I'm thinking of doing cheerleading."

It took the older girl a lot to keep from grimacing, thinking of the cheerleaders at school. They weren't all bad, she was sure, but... ugh... just thinking of losing her once-best friend because she became like _Valerie... _she shuddered. Valerie was the queen of all hard-working girls' nightmares. She was pretty, tall and willowy, but nasty on the inside. Abby, being the calm girl that she was, usually shrugged it off, but sometimes the poodle girl just went too far.

And _sometimes _Abby really enjoyed dodgeball. When she was the thrower, at least. Valerie couldn't dodge to save her own spoiled skin.

"Well, see Kooks, _every _school is divided into cliques. It's just dat some of 'em are more distinctly separated than others. And... well, I'm afraid that Cleveland High is one a' dose schools." Abby noticed Kuki's disappointed expression. "But hey, life's short, an' you gotta do what best suits you. Look at all these kids," she motioned towards the kids in the picture. "Look at how different dey are. An' still, dey got along fine."

Kuki nodded slowly, beginning to understand. "So... you won't, you know, not like me if I try out for cheerleading?" Abby shook her head again. "Aaaand... you won't be embarrassed to be friends with the... uhhh..."

"Nigel?" Finished Abby. "'Course not."

"Is his name Nigel? Suits him..."

* * *

**I know, I know, it's short. At least it's there, right?  
**

**Well, read and review, and remember, I need your input! If you have any awesome ideas, tell 'em on the mountain. **

** Well, no, don't, on second thought. Because I'm from Holland, and there aren't any mountains there. **

** Ooooo, announcement: I'm fifteen! YIPPEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! **


	7. Lizard's Pretty

**Whoopee! I'm so happy to be able to write again! I, elodrie, am living proof that the writer's block disease can be overcome! All it takes is blankets, re-obsession, and lots and lots of chocolate! Unless you've got it really bad, then all you have to do is try and forget it first, _then_ re-obsess, _then _think of all your poor, poor reviewers who keep checking for updates... sniffle...**

**No one can let anyone down like a writer who gives up on a very cherished story. Not that this one's cherished all too much, it's just that guilt feelings are super writer's block repellant. Just so you know. Ok, anyway, here's the disclaimer, and then I'll move on right away so I'm not tempted to write any more nonsense.**

**Disclaimer: NO!**

**enjoy. **

* * *

Kuki fiddled nervously with her silver charm bracelet while leaning against Wally's locker. He was late. The hallways were already crowded with teens, pushing to get past their peers. The first bell had already rung, and yet he wasn't here. 

_Would he be sick? _Kuki asked herself. Or maybe he was the type who skipped school most of the time. He didn't give that impression yesterday. He had seemed... well, a little dense, and had found it hard to pay attention, but he wasn't one to skip classes.

_What if he got hurt? _The hall was emptying fast. It was only a matter of seconds until the second bell would ring. Kuki shifted her books, balancing them on her hip, and peered down the second floor hallway. There was someone there... someone way at the end of the hall. It _had _to be Wally, since the figure had just emerged from the stairway. Kuki, ever petite, stood on her tiptoes and waved, hoping that the silhouette would notice her, or at least her hand, and finally come. But he – whoever it was – turned out not being the Aussie Kooks had been waiting for, and headed back down the stairs, it seemed, right after having seen her wave.

_Hmmm... I'd've bet that person was Wally... where _is _he? _Her brow crinkled with concern. _Maybe I'm on the wrong floor... no, homeroom is in room 203. That's right here. I wonder if he's sick. No, he didn't even have a cold yesterday, and he hadn't even mentioned anything about not being able to come. _

_It seemed as though that person was looking for someone. Could it have been me? I thought he had left right after spotting me._

_Nah, it couldn't have been. I'm sure whoever it was -_ The Japanese girl jumped out of her skin at the harsh, shrill ringing of the second bell, took one last peek up and down the hall, then left to class, having spotted no-one. She was sure she had simply missed him, and that he'd be sitting in the same seat at the back of the class, waiting for her to join him.

To her dismay, she was the last of the students to sit, all the way at the back of the class, next to Wally's empty desk. Abby grinned as her new friend passed, and stuffed a note in her hand as ever greasy Frybingle had his back turned.

_U was almost L8_

Kuki grinned at Abby's slang, and wrote her answer:

Yeah, sry bout that, I was waiting 4 W.

_U got it bad, gurl._

Hey! I just thought it'd b easier to explain it 1nce, infront of all the guys.

_Ah, we'll handle it like this._

Do u no y he's not here?

_No, but hey, everyone's got a cold at one time or another._

Ok... did u talk 2 N?

_N? as in Nigel? Yeah, I asked if he'd like 2 eat lunch w/ us._

Ok, kool. What'd he say?

_He was all surprised. It was sorta awkward._

Y?

_Well, I shoulda asked him way long ago. He's always sittin at the geeks table, but he doesn't have any friends there cuz he's 2 different._

Well, no, but he does know a lot. Y don't they just accept him?

_Dunno. But now, we're gonna have our own group!_

Maybe...

_waddaya mean maybe?_

Well, see, we have no idea if the others can accept eachother again. Maybe they've grown 2 far apart.

_That's a good point. But if u think about it, if we get back 2gether, we'll all have more friends than now. W. and I were the only people w/ friends, and all we had were each other._

What about W. and H.? They were friends, weren't they?

_Yeah, but they stopped hangin out 2gether a while ago. I dunno y._

Oops, I missed that part about the cheerleading tryouts. When r they?

* * *

In American Lit. that day, Kuki made sure to sit next to Nigel, though this meant sitting dangerously close to the teacher, who everyone called Greorge because they couldn't remember his last name. To his face, though, they just yelled 'teacher' when they had a question. 

In that class, everyone asks questions, but never gives answers. Nigel didn't really like this subject, if he had to admit the truth. He was pretty good at it, but he couldn't find a use for it.

He didn't like wasting energy. Now, he narrowed his light grey eyes as the teacher asked yet another boring and worthless question about their new book, Catcher in the Rye.

"Holden tells us," said George, glancing around the desks, arranged is a half-square, and the distracted teenagers seated at them, "that he's a 'very weak guy' compared to Stradlater. What does that mean?"

_Certainly _not _that he excercises? _Nigel heard his own British accent resounding in his head. He had learnt to hold his toungue, especially around teachers, because it had gotten him into trouble more than once. He could be very sarcastic. Kuki caught him twisting his mouth and grimacing, as if he had eaten a bad cherry.

After a couple of miutes of silence, the teacher asked yet another question, or refrased the last one, but Nigel didn't hear him. His eyes had strayed to those of Lizzie, who was sitting across the room, twisting a silver ring around her finger. It was definetely cute: a wide metal band, with small lizards cut out of it. Her thick, coarse, muddy-red hair barely brushed her shoulders, framing her chubby face. She wore a long button down shirt, cut off at the elbows and reaching to her mid-thighs, striped with orange, and black jeans. Her dark clogs tapped gently against the bottom bars of her desk.

She noticed him staring, and her deep fudgy brown eyes widened. Then, she looked away as her pale freckles started glowing deep red, along with her cheeks. Hoping Nigel had gotten the hint, she took out her folder and started making notes.

Kuki, fading into the background, had seen it all. Interesting...

* * *

**I know! Only 1002 words! Shameful. I'm so sorry this one's so very short, I just 'felt' that the chapter ended with that line. And writers follow their feelings. Most of you are authors, so I bet you know exactly what I mean. Right?**

**Anyways, sweet, sweet spring (or winter) break is here! You know what that means! I'll have plenty of time to write, but it might take a while until I'm going to upload them, as I am moving into my new house (yippee!) but need to be patient till we get cable installed. Or whatever you call that. **

** So, anyways, if you liked it, review! and if you didn't like it, review anyway! I'd love to know what's wrong with it. So I can fix it. So, go ahead, push that purple button!  
**


	8. A New Nightmare

**Hi everybody! How are you guys, first of all? I don't have much to say, this time, except that I don't own anything from KND, or anything from LoZ OoT, which I will be mentioning in this chapter. tada. Have a nice reading session!**

* * *

Nigel Uno hesitantly sat down at an empty table, waiting for those who had invited him to sit there in the first place. They were late. He felt sort of embarassed, having to sit with two girls. He would most definetely be out of place, even more so than at the geek table, though he'd never fit in there, either. 

He, like the geeks, had always done his best at school. He, like the geeks, was pasty-skinned and scrawny. What on earth set him apart?

He didn't try to get on the teacher's good side for extra points.

He didn't avoid everyone outside his little group.

He tried to find new angles to look at things from, new ways to answer questions.

He liked a girl who sat at the popular kids' table.

He felt someone tap him on the shoulder, and turned to see a short, thin Japanese girl smiling at him.

"Hi," The voice was as soprano as he had expected, with even a tiny tingle of a baby voice. "I'm Kuki. Mind if I sit here?"

"No," Nigel responded. She seemed amazingly familiar, and as she sat with her tray filled with salad, turkey chilli and a frosted brownie, she wore an expression that clearly read 'we have a lot to catch up on.' He slid in the seat opposite her, and spoke again. "I'm Nigel, by the way." The girl nodded, as if she had already known. "Are you new here?"

Kuki grinned widely. "Yeah. Yesterday was my first day here. I just moved, from Japan."

He raised his eyebrows at her. "That's funny. I thought I might've seen you before then." The girl giggled knowingly. It was annoying. If she so obviously knew something he didn't, why couldn't she just come out and say it?

"Yeah, I used to live here, 'till we moved two years ago. Then we came back. We're even living in the same house as before."

"That must be nice. Then it's not too much of a difference. From before, I mean."

"That's right. I'm even living really close to two of my best friends. But we can hardly remember each other."

The boy looked up from his milk, surprised. "That's weird. It's only been..." He narrowed his eyes at her. "... two years? You're a freshman, right?"

"Yep. You are, too?" The British boy nodded, and returned to his meal, and Kuki grabbed this chance to glance around the lunch room. Abby was coolly leaning against the doors, chatting with Hoagie (however hard that was), waiting until she would pull out the picture...

"... so, yeah, I'm planning on studying there." Hoagie finished. Abby nodded, and assured him that he would do great, when she saw a certain 14-year old duck into her bookbag after obviously having apologized to her only companion, a pale, grey-eyed boy, about the same age. This was her cue.

"Hey, Hoags, you mind sittin' by us today?"

This took the younger boy by surprise. Weren't they just talking about future jobs? "Uhhh... sure, why not?"

"C'mon." He followed her silently, side-stepping the rowdy sophomores and jocks, until they had arrived at the only table with free seats at the far side of the cafeteria. By now Abby, who had watched the pale boy's reaction, saw him staring dumbfoundedly at a photo. But he had only let his cool slip for a second. Then his cold, cold grey eyes, now turned to slits, riveted onto Kuki.

"_What _is this?"

Kuki's eyes widened for a minute. She hadn't expected _this_. His voice was like an icy cold knife. She opened her mouth to let escape a defensive retort, but as she was doing so, in her head she felt a voice, one that she decided to copy.

"I'm not really sure, actually." She said, innocently twisting the photograph so she could see it as well. "See, this is my birthday, I guess -"

"I can _see _that." The voice was nearing a sneer. "Do you think I'm blind?" He pointed at the 'Happy Birthday' banners in the background. "The question is, how did you get a picture of me in it?"

A chocolate-coloured arm slid a tray into the spot next to Kuki, who sighed in relief. "Hey, Nigel, glad ya made it." She motioned for Hoagie to sit on the other side of the cafeteria table. "Isn't that a weird photo?"

"Yes..." Now Nigel became sarcastic. "... _funny _how I don't _remember _any of it."

"Riiiight..." Abby started. She, like Kooks, hadn't expected this behaviour.

"Is that what you wanted me to come for, Lincoln?"

"Yeah," She answered, acting clueless. "It is."

"You have no idea how easy it is to insert a picture of someone else into a photo."

"Well, apparently not. _I_'ve neva been to da computer club."

Nigel took this as an insult. "You think it's nerdy to be able to type? I'm so sorry to use an e-mail address, slowing down your stamp collection considerably."

Kuki rolled her eyes. "Cut it out, you two." She interrupted. "Look, Nigel, the bottom line is, I found that picture in my attic. I don't know how it got there, or how your picture got in, but we're not faking. If you have such a problem with trying to have friends, you can go back to your geek table."

Nigel, who had already stood up, hesitated in walking away. What Kuki had said hit him hard. Was he too afraid to make new friends? Had he been building up his defenses, just to prevent himself from getting his hopes up? Was that strange picture just an excuse for him to walk away, when the real reason was that he didn't want company, he didn't want friends, for fear that they might abandon him, like...

... like they had done once before?

He knew what he had to do. But he had to eat humble pie for it.

Though... it was worth it, wasn't it?

"Abbigail, Kuki... I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said what I did."

"It's ok, silly." Kuki's annoying giggle brought him back to earth.

"Come and sit down, man." said Hoagie, speaking to him for the first time. Nigel did, and they spoke normally, getting to know each other through the lunch break.

* * *

Abby smiled as Kooks giggled at her. "Silly, it only works when we're in a hurry, and have no idea that we don't actually know where to go." 

"Dat doesn't make any sense, gurl. I know you know da way dere."

"Come _on _Abby, just in case. I don't want to get lost. We only know the way when we're not thinking about the address, just when we're thinking about getting there."

Abby brushed a bit of ice off of a nearby twig. They were in a dinky, dirty park near Abby's house. School had been out for a couple of hours, and Kuki had been getting more and more worried about Wally. She could've tried to get to his house, only to lose her way, until she could meet Abby after her martial arts classes.

"Wasn't anyone else there?"

Abby blinked dumbly. "Wasn't anyone else where?" Then, as she remembered, "Ohhhh... Kooks, you've already asked it a million times. _Nobody related to him was dere at the martial arts classes. _Not him, not his mom, _nobody. _Sorry, gurl."

"But something could be seriously wrong!" wailed Kuki. "You said he never skipped classes, hardly ever got sick, and if he did, he'd still show up at kickboxing!"

"Kickboxin'? Gurl, he doesn't do kickboxin'."

"Don't change the subject!"

"He can take care of himself."

"I know, but still..."

"You wanna see him?"

"... yeah."

Abby sighed, thinking about the mounds of homework waiting for her at home and next week's test. "Alright. But Abby ain't gonna be too happy when she gets a C because she couldn't study."

"Oh, don't worry about that, just show me the way, then go home when I get there!" said Kuki, instantly brightening. "I can find the way back by myself."

"Alright. Follow Abby. How were the tryouts, anyway?"

"Oh, they were great! They need more cheerleaders desperately, so they had to take me." Kuki jogged to keep up with tall Abby's long strides. "I'm getting extra practice after school, so I can catch up. But I think I'm gonna like it." She further explained about the teams, and the routines, until it became hard to breath _and _ talk. By then, though, they had arrived.

"You want Abby to pick ya up in a half hour, or you think ya know da way?" asked Abby, after motioning towards the bright yellow two-story house. Kuki reassured her that she knew, and wished her luck with studying. Then, not knowing exactly how she would handle the situation that would no doubt follow, she rang the doorbell. A light, high-pitched doorbell sound was heard, followed by clacking high heel sounds as someone neared the door. A pretty, green-eyed blonde lady, no doubt Wally's mom, opened.

"Whoi, hello, Kuki." The woman smiled. "Haven't seen you in a whoile. How are you?"

Kuki blinked in surprise. How did she know her? "Uhhh... fine, thanks. And, how are you, Mrs. Beetles?"

The Beetles Lady shook her short, blond locks and looked back up at her guest. "I've told you, call me Jo."

"Um, ok. So, Jo, how are you?"

"Foine, foine. Oh, come in, it's freezing, isn't it?" Jo opened the door wider, and stepped out of the way. She took Kuki's coat, and hung it up on a bamboo coat rack, decorated with leafy carvings and koalas. "Joey, you'll neva guess who's hea'!"

Kuki shyly followed Jo, and, looking past her, spotted a young, blond-haired boy playing nintendo. He turned, then jumped up, throwing the controller on the floor, regardless that on the screen, Link was being pulverized by Koume and Kotake easily. "Kuki! I thought you'd neva come back!" the seven year old yelled, his voice still slightly squeaky. He ran over, jumped the couch, and hugged Kuki's legs. "Are you ok?" he now looked up, his large, blue-green eyes filled with worry. "How was Japan?"

"Uh, nice, but I'm glad to be back. And, yeah, I'm ok... Joey." Kuki was puzzled as ever. _These _people sure weren't brainwashed. She suddenly felt extremely timid, having no idea what to say to them. She looked around frantically, then, seeing the only thing that might interest at least two of them (namely her and Joey), asked, "Hey, Joey, watcha playing?" To her relief, one pair of eyes became unglued from hers. Joey ran back, after seeing that Link had died and he had wasted a fairy, ran back to his original post. "It's the Legend of Zelda, Ocarina of Time," Kuki started taking off her shoes, revealing a pair of sea green socks. She politely maneuvered her way _around _the cushy couch; sank down on it as she watched the exciting fight between the Hero of Time and the two Evil Witches. She then complemented Jo on the opal dolfin earrings she was wearing. Then, subtly, she brought up Wally.

"How is he?" She asked, carefully polite, not bringing up the fact that he wasn't at school.

"Oh, Walls... yes, he's quite alroight dea', no worries." answered Jo hesitantly, then decided that Kuki would understand perfectly what had happened, and if not, she deserved to know, so she continued with, "He's a little shaky, from what happened yesterday. That's whoi I wouldn't let him go to school."

"Um, excuse me," Kuki hoped she didn't sound too nosy. "But, what happened yesterday?"

"Oh, you should ask him, you know. He'd loike to see you, Kuki, so go on upstairs."

"Alright. Thanks Mrs... uhhh... Jo." _I will never get used to calling her Jo, I just know it, _thought Kuki as she sprinted up the stairs swiftly. She had a choice on which door to knock on: a plain white one, one covered with cartoon carachters and, wouldn't you know it, Link, and one plastered with Keep Out and Danger: Falling Rocks signs. Hmmm...

She knocked lightly on one sign bearing the words: Private Property: Enter And Die. A mumble was heard on the other side, something that sounded slightly like, 'not now mum'. Kooks opened the door a crack, not looking in, and whispered, "Wally, it's me, Kuki. Y'awake?" Thrashing of pillows and blankets was heard, then a 'Kooks? Come in.'

She crept in slowly, not sure what she was expecting. Wally was lying in bed, wearing yesterday's orange hoodie, and holding an ice pack to... well, somewhere on his face. Kuki couldn't really tell; his bangs were too long. "What happened, Wally? Why are you holding an icepack to your..." her voice strangled itself into a gasp as Wally removed the ice, revealing a dark blue ring around his eye. "Wally! Are you ok? Who did this? What happened?"

Wally's voice was raspy and quiet, and it hurt to talk. "Kooks." He swallowed painfully. "Kooks... ya shouldn't be hea'."

* * *

**Mwahahaha. I am evil. Hey, do you guys know the song 'I am milk?' it's funny. sings I am milllk... I am Red-Hot-Ketchuup... and I am lost... so I am cruell... cruel as the deep blue oceaaaan... lalalalallaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa... reviewreview... lalalaaaaa...  
**


	9. Actually

**Oh dear. I am so evil; I haven't updated in a century. To reward you all for your patience, I have ch. 10 already uploaded, although I won't update right away for obvious reasons. Anyway, special thanks to KellyClarkstonGirl**, **because you just plain crack me up. Please, continue posting fun and curious reviews: nothing inspires me more than positive reviews. :)**

** In _case _you haven't noticed, KND does not belong to me. If it did... well, it just doesn't. Can't think of anything creative to say.  
**

* * *

Kani raised one eyebrow at his oldest daughter as she made her way down the stairs quietly. "I thought you hated your school in Japan chiefly for its uniform, Kuki-Chan." 

Kuki had reached the bottom step and looked around the room calmly, a slightly dull expression in her eyes. "I do not mind it now, father." was all she said. She straightened the dark blue plaited skirt, which was still warm. She had ironed it carefully. Her blouse was also crisp and flawless, and not one hair on her head was misplaced.

"Kuki-Chan..." Genkei looked up from the morning newspaper. "Are you alright?"

"Yes, I am, mother. Thank you."

The whole family, even the usually oblivious Mushi, was silent as the eldest daughter sat. Her sister was frozen, a mixed expression of concern and horror on her face. Slowly, she brought her cinnamon-flovoured cereal to her lips, chewed, and swallowed.

"Are ya in the mood to practice cheerleading today, sis? 'Cos you don't look up to it."

Mushi got a good look of Kuki's eyes. They were blank; it looked as though a bland, colourless blue had invaded them. No longer bright and laughing, nor really any type of colour, she looked... asleep, somehow. "Of course I will practice." As her family continued staring, she explained briefly. "I have agreed to practice, and so I will. After all, practice makes perfect, and perfection is my goal."

Mushi narrowed her eyes, and broke the dead silence with, "Hey, mom, I gotta go get something." Then sprinted up the stairs.This action didn't go unnoticed to Kuki, who raised her eyebrows, but returned to her meager breakfast swiftly.

* * *

Wally, though badly hurt by his recent fist fight, took a swing at an old, ratty punching bag, hanging in the middle of his room, as Abby paced the length of it, deep in thought.

"Ya know, it would _really _help if ya'd stop punchin'" Abby looked up as the bag gave way, and the heavy stuffing plooped on the floor.

Wally, defeated, sank down on his bed. "Ah can't think, Abbs." he moaned. "There's somethin' wrong with her."

"Yeah, so what else is new?" Abby snapped in response. "We're supposed to figure out _what, _by the way. What did she talk to you about?"

"Nothing, Abby, absolutely nothing, except a lecture on mah spelling habits! She wouldn't even let me copy her work."

"Hmmm... well, maybe there's somethin' else you can remember."

"She looked bored, most of the time." Hoagie, standing in the corner, finally spoke up. "As if the course was too easy for her."

"_Abby_'s noticed she didn't smile. Her handwriting was also different. Cursive." She remembered. "Where da heck is Nigel anyway?"

"Don't ask me." Hoagie shrugged. "He said he had to do something."

"Geesh. Could he be more vague?"

"You're moody. You know that, don't you?"

"How can I not be irritated? One of my best friends has been beat up, and another one's been actin' like a zombie. Somethang is seriously wrong."

"Is there? Oh, gee, I hadn't noticed." Abby shot daggers at Hoagie as he said this, then resumed her pacing.

"Ok, lemme get this straight. Hoagie, you said that she acted like some kind o' smarty pants?" She pulled a pen out from her small, blue bag, which had been sitting in the corner, and started writing on her hand – she didn't have any paper. "And Wally, you can confirm dat?" She pushed a strand of hair out of her face. She was on a roll. "She was serious through da whole day, she didn't ask about yo' bruise," Abby motioned towards Wally's eye. "She didn't let you copy her work, either. Did she say why?"

"She started this whole speech – a _speech, _for Pete's sake – about my working habits and said that if I couldn't do my work well enough to pass, try, try again. She suggested a _tutor!" _

Abby was scribbling like mad on the palm of her hand. "So, too neat – remember da cursive – and too smart, too show offy in class, talkin' in monotone, overly polite... what else?" Her speaking had sped up until she had run out of things to mention. Now, in some kind of lame anticlimax, she was left staring at her palm. "... what else?" She asked again.

After a long period of silence, Hoagie spoke up. "She was wearing a school uniform." He said. Suddenly, scenes that had slipped to the back of his mind resurfaced, and he was ticking things off with his fingers. "She – in the library, you know – stacked her books and made sure they were perfectly in order. She was uninterested in what we had talked about yesterday at lunch, and she avoided them. She didn't talk that much, when yesterday she never shut up. She organized her locker. She struck up a conversation about chess – she thought I hadn't heard, but I had – with someone from the chess club. Yesterday she said she couldn't play that game to save her life." He breathed in. The fresh air wafting in from Wally's open window helped him think. He remembered something – even if it was only a glimpse, a small scene from when he was leaving the school. "She... she does cheerleading, right?" The other two nodded. "I saw her. She jumped perfectly, but it looked weird, somehow." He fidgeted with a swiss army knife in his pocket, avoiding Abby's curious look. Wally's head was buried in his hands. What help could he be, anyway? All he'd managed to do so far is destroy his punchy-bag.

"A-a-a-a-and?" Asked Abby after a while. "Weird in what way?"

"Well, you said she was cut out for it perfectly, right?" He leaned against the wall. Wally should be discussing this. "I don't know, but I think you said it was because she had- -"

"- -Natural grace." Abby finished. For some reason, her stomach lurched at his describing someone as graceful. Someone other than herself. She knew – she _hoped –_ he hadn't meant anything, but in this matter she had no control over her insides. Praying silently for them to be still, she said, "She has a way of moving, it creates... flowin' lines, or somethang."

"Well," Hoagie started up again. "She didn't look like it at all. She looked stiff, and bored, and the coach kept shaking her head." He refrained from grinning. "As if she was a hopeless case." Wally glared at him after he mentioned that. " Relax, dude, nothing personal. She really moved like a robot, though." Hoagie checked his watch. "Anyway, I gotta go. You know, moms." He nodded at both of them and left the room.

"Yeah – Hey, Hoagie," Abby lunged at her chance. "Mind if we go together?" _It might not be too nice for Wally,_ she thought, _but what would we talk about?_ "I need to go soon, too."

"Bye, see you tomorrow." Wally bade them. They responded. He listened to them go down the stairs, talking in hushed tones, and thank Mrs. Beetles for having them. Wally sighed deeply.

"... Moight as well do mah homework." He looked up to his desk, where a tall pile of homework lay, and made his way towards it, not paying any attention to the heap of punch bag insides in the middle of the room. Sure enough, he tripped, all two metres of him. "Cruddy- -" He cut himself off and covered his black eye with his hand. He lay like that, sprawled out on the floor for a while, protecting his painful eye. It was throbbing for some reason, and as he rolled over, he realized why.

A smell. A heavy, rubbery, synthetic smell was drifting into his nostrils. He could only imagine that it came from the remnants of his excercising tool, so he crouched nearer to it, gasping in pain as the toxic air was strengthened, as were the bruises. He had them everywhere, he now realized – his knees, arms, back. He could only feel them now because of _that smell. _His pulse quickened. He knew, because each and every one of his bruises seemed to be on fire, the pain searing through them freshly at every heartbeat. He finally came near enough to touch the stuffing, and pushed his finger in it. He knew it was heavy – it had taken him and his dad nearly all day on his last birthday to fasten it securely on the ceiling, and even then it had fallen down a couple of times – and he fully registered the way his finger sank into it: only with great effort.

_Like a synthetic fist, _he thought, his mind harking back at two nights ago when _something _had waited for him on his way home from school. He remembered the scent of the night, but the new smell that invaded his mind when that Something had punched his eye. _Something... something... _the word echoed through his brain... _Something that looked and operated amazingly much like a person, _thought Wally, amazed beyond his pain, _but was actually- -

* * *

_

"Hmm... pistacio, pistacio..." Nigel scanned the racks of the supermarket. "Ah... pistacio chocolate, pistacio salted, pistacio ice cream... _when did she say she liked pistacio in the first place?" _He shook his head, and reached for the pistacio-and-chocolate chip ice cream, for Divine's birthday, when he saw something that nearly made him topple into the assortment of flavoured yogurts.

A yellow logo.

* * *

**No comment. I'm tired.** **Review, as always! Feel free to post comments, theories (I _love _reading thoeries), and suggestions. Byeeeeeeeeee! G'night!**


	10. Punch Bag Insides

**Don't own it! Do I? NO!  
**

**Muhahahaha. I get so inspired on Saturdays, I wrote chapters nine and ten in one sitting. Not that that's such a feat; they're both awfully short. Sorry. Anyways... When I had updated the last chapter, I thought of something to say, but I forgot waht it was. Darn. **

**I have utterly and completely humiliated myself on my best friends parents' answering machine. I'm still slightly in shock.**

* * *

"You _did _smudge out the initials, didn't you?" A boy's voice came from a small, square, radio type thing in the palm of a raven-haired, and extremely familiar **(A/N: to you guys at least)** girl. 

"Oh, for the love of - !"

"_Did you?"_

"For the eleventy millionth time, _YES!"_

"I'm serious -"

"Like fun you are."

"I _am _your superior, remember?"

"You wouldn't fire me anyway." The slim, Japanese girl whispered hotly.

"I can't fire you, but I can punish you. I don't care who you're connected to, or what spying position you have."

"Yeah. Whatever. About that, anyhow, am I supposed to just sit by and watch while the they remember stuff? I mean, it's dangerous, isn't it?"

"_It's a test! A test! Now start spying on that bald customer!"_

"Ok, ok, already. Geesh. Have some more root beer, would ya?" She hung up on her very strict superior.

She peeked out from behind the refridgerated section, watching Nigel Uno closely as he eyed the ice cream pack she had purposely placed there. He looked distrusting at first. _Good, _she thought, _he's supposed to distrust of this kind of stuff. _She remembered the time in the cafeteria yesterday, and his reaction to the photo. He had to distrust all this. Or else the test would be way too easy, not to mention incomplete.

Nigel squinted his eyes at the amazing familiarity, and neared his face to an ice cream pack. The label was spelled wrong, and he was sure it hadn't been there a minute ago. The logo was black and yellow, with certain silhouettes in it. It was exciting, in a strange way. He took a deep breath, and felt brave, strong, and carefree. Something about it made him happy. Happier than he had been in a long time.

Those intercom people had clearly underestimated their victim. He caught a glimpse of a few silky black hairs and a pair af large, dark eyes as someone flew behind the ice cream section. He strode to the corner and turned it just in time to see a some strangely-dressed girl rushing out of the shop. He didn't get up, though, and followed her. He finally cornered her in a dead end street.

"Who are you?" asked Nigel, practically standing on top of her. She whimpered, faking submission, but only for a moment. He glimpsed her pulling something out of her sleeve, and soon enough she wasn't there anymore, but was replaced by a large robot that smelled distinctly of punch-bag insides.

* * *

**AAAAHHH! SHE PULLED OUT A WAND AND WHOEVER IT IS IS ACTUALLY A WITCH FROM HOGWARTS! IT'S AN HP/KND CROSSOVER!**

**Kidding.**

** I even scare me sometimes. Seriously. Especially this afternoon, when I said into that answering machine, "Hello? this is elodrie, and I really need to talk to - - - - - - - about - - - - - - - -. Could she call me back?**

** "No, wait, nevermind. Don't call me. Uhhhh... bye, and thanks anyway!"  
**

**MORTIFYING. They'll never let her visit me in the summer; insane asylums are so _unhygienic._ No, I am not making fun of anybody. To prove my point: I named one carachter that doesn't really have a first name after mah best friend's mom.** **Anyway, have pity on this horrid glob of embarrassment: review.**

** -...-  
**

_...** why do I always spell character wrong?**_


	11. One of Five

**Yippieeee! I updated! YAY! ... ahem. I hope you all remember the plot... I doubt I still do...  
**

** Oh, and I own nothing but some of my furniture, which is supposed to arrive today. Huzzah!  
**

* * *

"It was..." The raven-haired girl gasped. "It was... a one-way transport coin." She turned a small coin around in her hand as a thick, bland blueish smoke cleared around her slowly. The smoke stung her eyes and burned her throat but she only had eyes for the thick, round, metal device nestled in the palm of her small, sweaty hand. "I can't believe it..." She shook her head subconciously, as though trying to shake off the smoke. "I thought it was a bomb... or something... since that robot appeared..." Her mind reached back to only seconds ago, when she had been cowering in a dead-end street, fearing the uncovering of her organization, and the consequences... 

...decommisionning. She winced at the thought. It would be painful, she knew, she remembered from that time. She remembered when her sister returned home, at the age of 12 and a half, and the headache that had been heightened by her burn marks and bruises. She remembered the way the Kids Next Door had warned her parents not to tell her anything, not to let a word of them slip, to leave the country, until the threat was over. The way she had hidden in the closet when a group of armed children had busted into her home, the way her joy of her sister's survival was crushed with the news of her sister's decommisionning. Mushi frowned into the thick, blue fog. Just that night, the night before she was kidnapped, Kuki and her had had a 'sister sleepover', where she and Mushi had slept in the living room and talked until dawn. Kuki had shared her secrets with her that night... Mushi remembered.

"_Mushi..." _She heard twelve-year old Kuki say once again. _"You've asked me a million times if it's true."_

"_Is it, though? Why wouldn't you tell me?"_

"_Because..." Kuki shook her head. It was midnight; Mushi could hardly see but she could sense her sister's movement. She was afraid... scared to death... of something that she wasn't able to say. She always shook her head when she was afraid._

"_Is it the Kids Next Door? Will they do something bad if you tell?"_

"_No... it's just..." a light sigh. _

"_Am I not allowed to know?"_

"_Yes. You are allowed to know. It's just that I don't want to know it... myself. You already know it, but if I say it, it's different." Kuki, her sister heard, was crying. Her voice was trembling madly. "It's hard to say. If I admit it – to anyone – it's like sealing a letter. Mushi, I don't want to say it."_

"_Why?"_

"_Because..." Mushi heard a whimper coming from the sleeping bag opposite her. After a minute of waiting, she felt she had heard the answer... it had been quiet as a whisper, stifled by sniffles. "Decommisionning."_

Mushi shook her own head and reached for her communicator. She had to get this off of her mind. She flicked the radio-thing open and started speaking, "Numbuh 35 to Sector V treehouse, requesting- -" she cut off abruptly. Her voice was bounced back to her, along with a crackling sound. The communicator was blocked. She could make out five silhouettes stepping towards her through the cloud of mist.

"Calling for backup, Numbuh 35? How ironic. Maybe the Kids Next Door will have you brainwashed before your time, too."

Mushi glared at the tall teenagers making their way towards her slowly. "Still speaking in unison, huh, Delightfuls? In fact, I wasn't calling for backup. I can take the lot of you on my own." A laugh came from her enemy.

"You won't have the honour, Mushi. You'll suffer the same fate as your sister before you. Only this time- -" One of the Delightfuls came into view. It was the blond girl. She spoke, surprisingly, on her own, in a high soprano voice much like Kuki's.

"This time, Mushi Sanban, burn marks won't be your punishment." She held out a device much like the transport in Mushi's hand, but this one emitted a blue glow, and soon enough a picture of Kuki, Mushi's beloved sister, came into view. She was sitting, on her own, in her room, perfect posture, ironed uniform, doing her homework swiftly, her eyes becoming more and more blue, her pupils fading.

"No." said Mushi resolutely, planting her feet firmly on the ground. "I won't let you," She seethed, "I won't let you do to me the same thing that you did to MY SISTER!" And she leaped forwards, crashing into the girl, then rolling onto the ground. The other four delightfuls stared in shock, and Mushi didn't feel like waiting around to see their reaction. Quickly she jumped up to her feet and ran the length of a richly decorated corridor. Someone – she suspected one or all of the Delightful Children – teenagers – whatever – was following her.

She ran, sprinting down the same path as a 10-year-old girl had just four years ago, only this time without any nacho sauce in her hands, and not having chosen this as an amusing pastime. Her pulse was racing, her forehead was sweaty, and she wouldn't have wished this upon her worst enemy.

That is, if her worst enemies weren't those delightful teenagers.

She rounded a corner, a large set of armor coming into view. She remembered Abby, her sister's best friend, telling her about an especially dangerous set of armor in one of the castle's hallways. Not wanting to take any chances, she paused a minute to trip the armor, jumped the metal pile, and ran again. She was running out of breath just when she saw an exit. Praising the heavens, she jumped for it, landing just outside the castle. Flying home by means of a pair of butterly wings, she left the Delightfuls' anguished cries far, far behind her. _Now, _Mushi thought to herself, _To find a cure._

She stopped in mid-air. She recalled the situation in which she had left Numbuh1 – uh – Nigel Uno – to the mercy of one of the delightfuls' most recent inventions. It had successfully weakened Wally, and had equally successfully delightfulized her sister, making sure she couldn't pass on the information Wally had given her, and he couldn't tell anyone else, because... because...

Mushi ran the question through her mind. Because why? She didn't know. She would have to see him – after cleaning this thing with Nigel up.

* * *

**Oooooooooooooooooooooohhh... there ya have it! That's why I couldn't tell you. Muahahahaha. Anyway. I am on a complete hiatus on this fanfiction. Any ideas are welcome, but doubtful you'll see an update alert anytime soon. I've started another chapter, and the first part's good, but the rest is worth gagging for. Meaning, I hafta throw up every time I see it. Read it... whatever. I mean, I could just delete the bad part, right? But the weird part is, I don't know _when _it starts getting bad. Bleh. I hate it when my chappies don't obey... **

** Yours is eternal glory (literally; I'll write it in my author's notes) if you can give me a good idea for what's going to happen, and anyone who succeeds in inspiring me at all in any way (Phhhfff, fat chance) will be named and honoured. Seriously. Review! Have a nice weekend!  
**


	12. Three Down, Two To Go

**Yes, miracles happen! I am once again inspired! How long did it take me? I'm too ashamed to check myself. I hope... that I have learned and that all my reviewers will verbally abuse me as much as they wish, for all know that I deserve it. So, here it is, and I got the inspiration from watching Pirates of the Carribean. I don't know why. Maybe because Anne-Marie reminds me so very much of Abby.**

** "You - stole - my - _boat!"_ (smack)  
**

**Heheeh...**

* * *

Nigel didn't know why he fought. The machine he was facing was scary, and was without a doubt what had attacked Wally. His new friend had filled him in on everything he could remember about It. His attacker, that is. And Nigel knew, somehow, that this was it. As it stepped towards him slowly, a heavy, synthetic stench filled his mind; he felt like he couldn't breathe. He felt drowsy and weak. 

_That's exactly how they want you to feel._ A voice echoed through his head, a trusted, old voice that had been rusting in the back of his mind for he didn't know how long; a voice that had been in many situations like this, he knew.

_Fight._ The voice was young, but experienced, and, to Nigel, it was like a second concience.

He opened his eyes as a rubber fist caused the wall next to him to explode. He now noticed that he had been backing away and had closed his eyes.

_Not too smart..._ He thought, glancing over his enemy's shoulder to his lost chance of escape.

_Fight. _

_But I can't fight! Wally has fought this, and he's stronger than I am! I can't take this on!_ Though the voice was so trusted, he was all too ready to question it as the robot lurched upwards, pulling its fist out of the rubble that was once a wall.

_Just fight. You weren't taken by surprise, it isn't as dark as it was when Wally was attacked, and you have me. _

_Right._ He narrowed his eyes at the creature, and stood firm as yet another fist hurtled towards him. At the last minute he swung out of the way, and pushed the arm downwards, rolling between the large robot's legs, pulling the arm through with him. The robot jerked upwards again, but Nigel let the arm go, and his opponent swung backwards too far, losing its balance. Now he pushed downwards on the robot's chest, and it fell. It was stuck in an awkward position as Nigel pinned it down, unable to jump up and checking its information banks for a strategy. Finally it just threw the human away like a rag doll, and stood up quickly, deciding no longer to go for slow and scary, but just to finally get this over with. It jabbed at the organic being with the speed of lightning, but Nigel was fast and dodged them all easily. Uno noticed, though, with no small unease, that all of his movements were natural, almost subconcious; what would happen if this subconcious forsook him?

The moment he doubted himself was the moment he let his guard falter: he was hit in his shoulder and was slammed, once again, down on the floor. His mind was screaming at him: _get up, get up, you oaf! What are you waiting for? _

He rolled to the side as a large metal foot crashed down on what would've been his bald head. Grabbing the pole-like leg, he scrambled upwards, using his enemy as support. Which must have gotten on its nerves, if it had any.

He groaned as another dizzying blow was dealt to him. He was on the ground again. As the sky swirled and twisted crazily, the robot leaned over him. This is the end... I can't keep fighting... But the robot didn't move. The machine's mouth then clicked open and emitted a long, low, robotic wail as the inside of the mouth began to glow blue. Blue... blue... what is it with that blue? _Why is it always blue?_ He had to do something, anything, so he reached upwards, grabbed whatever was glowing, and jerked it out of his enemy's mouth. The robot was silenced immediately and fell promptly on top of Nigel.

Urrrrgh..." He pushed with all his might. It felt spent. He relaxed; then tried again but the robot didn't budge. He studied the robot's position, then slid easily out from under it sideways. He looked around for whatever it had tried to blast him with just now, but he had dropped it as soon as it had come out. It had been white-hot. Then – there it was. It was a blue sphere, with a small, thin, but extremely hard stick jutting out of it. The stick looked as if it was supposed to serve as a connection between this orb and a second, but it wasn't anywhere in sight. What had happened to it? He had no idea. He pocketed it, deciding to ask it to his friends the next day at school, and walked home.

* * *

The sky was a velvety blue speckled with silver stars - or at least, it looked that way to Abby as she walked home with Hoagie. They were talking a relaxed, fun conversation for the first time in a long while. In fact - she couldn't even remember the last time they _were _talking like this, but it didn't matter. She turned her head to retort to something Hoagie had said concerning Wally and Kuki, but then noticed they had reached - make that passed - Hoagie's house already. 

"Hey, Gilligan, what does your house look like?" She questioned jokingly, looking past him through one of the lights in the kitchen window.

"Wha -?" he turned, and saw what she meant. Blushing, he faced her again. "Oh... um, see you... tomorrow?" Abby saw him wince at forming this as a nervous question, but she smiled warmly at him.

"Sure." She turned, not wanting to prolong the conversation with unneeded goodbye's, and walked away. A few footsteps further she felt guilty, having not heard him walk back at all. Looking back over her shoulder she said smilingly, "Bye, Hoagie." She only heard a soft humming sound as a reply.

Soon, though, her good mood evaporated as the sky turned an impenetrable, inky black, and the streetlamps cast two long, eerie shadows on both sides of her and the only sounds beside her footsteps wwere those of dogs barking lazily in the distance. She walked faster, too afraid to break into a run but too anxious to get home to walk normally. There was no sound, no footsteps, no heavy breathing besides hers, she was sure of it, that pattering was only dripping water...

She hugged her poofy jacket closer to her and stopped, catching her breath, holding it to see what _that sound _had been. Her breathing calmed down.

_Just as I expected, _she thought calmly, as the spattering of melting snow continued. She walked on. Down the street she continued, past the house with the light yellow walls, bast the brick cottage with the huge garden - she just had to pass that last one, the one with the high wall fence with windows in it -

Rancid breath filled her lungs, soon to be replaced with a pleasant, sweet, pepperminty smell. Something sticky, round and strong, like a pole, pinned her to the fence. Someone had been very smart planning this; they had dropped off of the wall, the nearest street lamp was suddenly extinguished so all she could see was what a brief look at her attacker provided her: it was some short, mad person standing on the cold, wet pavement bare-footed, with pale skin and an almost grotesquely poofy nose. He had pinned her to the wall by her neck. She couldn't breathe. He had a thick, typically French accent.

"Yoo will come wiz me, gurrel," He demanded, gruffly, with a note of arrogance in his voice.

"Si tu as besoin de parler en Francais, je ne t'arreterai pas," She spat back, "enfin, ca cerait plus facile pour moi, ton Anglais est incomprehensible."

"Hon hon hon!" He laughed Frenchely, so familiar, so annoying to her, there was something about that laugh. Abby's blood boiled quicker than it usually did.

"_Laisse moi," _she said, but then swung her leg forwards and the small man was hurtled backwards, the sticky thing still clinging to her neck. She wrenched it off.

She hurried in the direction of her house, but the attacker got to his feet and she heard him catching up. She slowed down deliberately, and when she heard him get into her range, she kicked out, twisting around while doing so, and the Frenchman caught her leg. _Perfect._ The momentum of her kick was not yet spent. Lifting her other foot off the ground, she twisted again, smacking the side of his head with her free boot. She thought she heard a crick in his neck; he let go. She rolled gracefully on the ground, she was on the road now, he was lunging at her. She grabbed the front of his filthy white shirt and crouched, rolled onto her back and flung him off her, stood up, and watched him carefully to be able to deflect his next attack.

She watched him getting up, her ears ringing with pain... the asphalt was rough... maybe it hadn't been such a good idea to roll onto her back so fast... the weight of both of them seemed to have driven thousands of tiny, sharp rocks into her spine... a long, slow, distant trumpet-like sound was bringing her back - the Frenchman, the lights in her windows - but she still couldn't hear anything... the man... her - _enemy_ - was grinning - why was he grinning... why - why couldn't she hear? Another trumpet sound came, closer, and something was screeching-

_-You hear it all the time on the highway, you dolt-_

Something that reached from her waist to her mid-calves collided with her - her knees buckled - someone screamed as she flew over some surface, landing on something that stuck out upwards - it crashed as her sight faded, the ugly face of her enemy glowing in her mind momentarily, from his pale skin to his striped bandana to his thin moustache... then her conciousness, too, faded away.

* * *

Hoagie looked up from his cereal as his mother turned on the news in the morning. The anchorman took his stack of papers and tapped them all on his desk so as to get them straight and neat in a businesslike fashion. 

"Today's local news, Cleveland, Ohio. First of all, an emergency for all people living in the streets Puckleworth, Evening, Satsuma, Cook, Roosevelt..."

The news reporter conitnued to rattle off names. Hoagie looked up: he lived on number 12, Satsuma street. His mother sat up a little straighter but Tommy continued with his cereal loudly. Hoagie strained his ears to hear above his brother's crunchings.

"... and Ramsitter, be forewarned that a strange anomaly has occured in your streets. A deep groove has been cut into your streets made by and for unknown methods and reasons. Besides this, Sarah Schneider has awoken this morning, the front glass of her car shattered, having no knowledge of how it happened. She has been taken to the Hospital, the doctors inspecting her for any sign of a concussion..." the rest of the broadcast was overridden by Hoagie's mother fussing about seeing Mrs. Schneider to comfort her, the woman being a good friend of hers. When she quieted down the news broadcaster had moved on to less local news.

"Oh dear... poor Sarah... I'll really have to see her mother..." Beth fussed some more. Hoagie hastily finished his breakfast and shouldered his bag. He wanted to poke around a little bit for this 'strange anomaly'. But as he opened his door, he found he wouldn't have had to look very hard. Through his steamy breath he could see a small valley in the street, the asphalt shattered, the earth pushed onto the sidewalk - but something else he found far more interesting and definitely much more worrying. Abby's sister was sobbing on the porch of their house. He walked up to her.

"Excuse me - you're Cree Lincoln, aren't you?"

Cree looked up; nodded. "Hi Hoa -" She sighed. "And... what's your name? You come in familiar."

"I'm Hoagie. I live just down the street -"

"Oh. You're - you - A-Abby's told me a lot about you."

Hoagie could feel himself glowing. "Really? Where is she?"

"Sh-she -" Cree swallowed with difficulty. Hoagie's heart sank. Something told him that Abby had a lot to do with that car crash. "She didn't turn up yesterday night. She was out, and she didn't come back."

"Oh... I'm so-"

"_It's all my fault!"_ She screeched suddenly, making Hoagie jump.

"N-no - no, of course it isn't!" He said desperately, but Cree whent right on wailing.

"_I _got her into this! It's - all - my - fault!" She sniffled violently, and ran inside.

Hoagie sighed deeply. _Girls are strange creatures._

* * *

Very far away, Abby's conciousness flickered back to life. The air smelled salty and every inch of her body ached. She opened up her eyes and let them adjust to the darkness. She was lying, presumably, in a hammock, because she was swaying slightly. A little further on, somebody was sitting at a table made of wood in old-fashioned clothes, staring gloomily at a glass in his hand. There wasn't much decor, it was all rough, wooden walls and a steep staicase probably leading out of this basement. As she looked around a little more carefully but she hadn't picked up anything significantly different when she had to adjust her eyes to a new light. It was falling in solid-looking bars across the floor from an open trapdoor. Every trace of winter was gone: the air smelt of sun and heat and the golden rods of sunlight were screaming of summer. And by the shapes cut out of this light she could see someone descending the stairs. Someone with the most mismatched pair of legs she had ever seen...

* * *

**Inspiration in the most beautiful thing in this universe. Review.**

**And THANK YOU to those who have come back! Suggestions, questions, etc. are always welcome, for my creativity is limited, etc., etc., and plus, I'll know what I'm still confusing people with. That's important, you know.**


	13. Come Question

**Hiiiiiiiii! I'm baaaaaaaaack! There wasn't such a long pause here, I didn't want to fall into a relapse. Well, since this is the thirteenth chapter, I'm just going to have the characters tell each other everything that's gone wrong the past couple of days and try to make something out of it. But the horizon will shine brighter in Chapter 14, mark my words!**

**Oooooooooooh, I forgot to write a disclaimer, how evil of moi. So, here goes:**

**Disclaimer:**

**Codename: Kids Next Door and all it's characters do not belong to me, I am simply using them for my story. The plot itself, however, is mine. x2, for last time when I forgot this disclaimer thingee.**

* * *

When Hoagie got to homeroom class late, he saw, to his dismay, that Nigel was once again in the front row, eliminating every chance of talking to him about what had happened. Hoagie rushed to the back of the class next to Wally, ignoring those who were still eyeing Wally's black eye. No one dared to sit next to him, so Hoagie turned to the Aussie to tell him what happened. 

"Hey Wally, Abby's been kidnapped." The smile on his friends' face froze, then slipped off.

"Wh-what?... I don't believe you."

"It's true. Do you have any classes with Nigel before Lunch?"

"Yeah... Maths."

"Ask him if he'll sit with us. It's important."

"Wait - Hoagie!" But the teen had hoisted his bag on his shoulder and left seconds after the bell.

* * *

"What is it? What happened?" Nigel asked that day at lunch.

"Abby's been kidnapped. Sit down." They sat. Hoagie took a deep breath.

"This morning when my mom watched the news I saw something about a deep cut sort of thing in the roads. Did you see it?"

"It wasn't in my street -"

"-or mine-"

"-but I saw it somewhere else. It was on the news?"

"Yeah. I also heard about a car crash, and the girl who was driving that car couldn't remember anything. There was only broken glass, no blood. The crash took place right outside Abby's house. When I came out, I met Cree. She was crying, and said that Abby was out after school and never came home, that it was all her fault, and then she ran inside."

"But... why does that mean she was kidnapped?" Asked Nigel.

"There was no blood!"

"Yeah, but your road's been cut up, how's it supposed to show blood?"

"You're saying... it happened _before_ whatever came and demolished the road?"

"Well... yes."

"To me, it seems loike tearin' up the road would take all noight."

"But how's a car supposed to crash into someone if there is _no road?_" Nigel retorted.

"Right. That would fit with _this _a bit better - it seems as though someone's after us."

"_WHAT?_"

"Shhh! _Think, _you two! Didn't you notice? Think about Kuki's picture. The one from her attic."

"... We're all on there..." said Nigel thoughtfully.

"That's right."

"But we can't remember it..." Hoagie nodded fervently.

"And look, Wally's been beat up, Kuki's been... I dunno... brainwashed, or something... and Abby's been kidanpped!"

"And I was attacked last night."

"Really? Where? Was it another robot?"

"Yes, it was a robot, just like you described yours. I was shopping and someone - some little kid - was spying on me. I chased her out, and she dissappeared and there was this robot in her place."

"What did the kid look like?"

"It was a little girl - about ten years old, I guess... with black pigtails and a purple sweater."

"That's Kuki's little sister." said Wally instantly. "We've got to talk to 'er."

"Sure, we'll go after school -" Nigel said, waving his hand impatiently.

"No! We have to go now!" Wally argued.

"_Why_?"

"Because as we speak, Abby's probably getting farther and farther away." Hoagie interrupted quietly as Wally opened his mouth angrily.

"Tha's roight!" said the Aussie aggressively. He dragged Nigel away from the table, drawing many stares from his peers as he did so. "C'mon Hoagie. We're goin'. Now."

Hoagie sighed and stood up. He didn't like the attention this was giving him... He also didn't like the way they'd all been attacked so far - except for him.

_Gulp.

* * *

_

**Sorry for the atrocious shortness. I just wanted to end this with a good, healthy gulp. And I might switch this genre to Mystery/Action/Adventure. Ok? Ok. Bye!**

**And review, ya got that? **


	14. The Sweet Revenge

**Hello! Here I am again with chapter 14! I decided Nigel needed a bit more praise, he's so smart and all, but he doesn't get so much of a spotlight here. Except - hm. You'll see.**

**And flame me if my description of Abby's dinner made you gain a few pounds.**

**Disclaimer: I obviously don't own Codename: Kids Next Door, otherwise the shows would have been put on hiatus just like this story. But they didn't - I think? I don't have cartoon network on my tv, I wouldn't know. Enjoy, anyway!**

* * *

Dragging Nigel along by the collar, Wally pelted down the school corridor, with Hoagie at his heels. They ignored the comments and scoldings of students and teachers alike, until one particularly burly young man blocked them from leaving the school. 

"And where might midgets like you be off to?" He said nastily, sneering at Nigel, panting on the ground, clutching a stitch in his side, and Hoagie, hovering in Wally's shadow, looking all too eager to let the Aussie handle this all on his own. Wally, ever the oblivious one, puffed out his chest and glared straight into the 18-year-old's eyes. Nigel thought it was quite something to call them midgets – Wally was at least twice as broad-shouldered as the hallway-troll was, and Hoagie surely towered over him by a good two inches. The Brit, though gasping like a fish out of water on the floor, was quite tall himself, though not as much so as Hoagie. The latter didn't look so tall now, though, but Wally continued not to notice the lack of support he was getting from his companions. The hallway-stopper stepped forwards, and Hoagie shrunk some more. He winced at what Abby would have thought of this – but then, it was Wally's job to rush into something, make the situation a bit worse, then leave it to Nigel to sort it out.

"Where we're going," Wally said loudly, "'as little to do with you!"

"Really now?" the student sneered, stepping even closer. They were barely an inch apart now. Nigel was starting to recover and wondered how limited their obstacle's vocabulary was. "I happen to be interested – and when I'm interested, I like to be told!"

"So sorry to disappoint," Hoagie rolled his eyes. He couldn't help it. He grabbed Wally's shoulder to lead him past the student blocking them, but no go. Wally stayed put.

"Trying to escape, are we? You've been running from classes ever since you turned up from that land Down Under – are all the Australians so stupid, or is it just you?"

Nigel had never known Wally could be so patriotic. Hoagie had barely swept him aside before Wally swung at the boy's jaw. His aim was true: the boy howled in pain, grabbed Wally around the waist, and brought him down on the ground. Students flocked from their lockers, from inside the classrooms, to watch, cheering them on, as the boy continued to battle on the floor. Hoagie and Nigel were soon squashed to the wall, and unable to continue watching. The bell rang, but no one paid attention. Judging by the grunts and howls coming from the centre of the crowd, Wally was winning by a lot. Too soon for the other students, however, the Gym teacher jogged towards them, pushed his way through the crowd an easily separated the two boys, and sent them from school – they were suspended. When they got back, they'd have a week's worth of detention to deal with. Hoagie's heart lifted; they would have more than enough time to solve the mystery of Kuki's brainwash, rescue Abby, and he shouldn't feel guilty about being happy about Wally's punishment, it wasn't as though he would mind.

Wally stormed from the school, but Nigel held Hoagie back from following him.

"What is it?" He hissed. Nigel looked up at him grimly.

"It would look stupid if we all followed him out. We'll go to the toilets as the bell goes, then sneak out after everyone's in class."

"Um... okay. There's thirty minutes to go until then, what do we do?"

"Eat. I'm starving."

* * *

It didn't go as planned. When the bell rang, Hoagie and Nigel were safely inside their cubicles, waiting for the noise in the hallway to die down. Five minutes later, the school was silent besides the distant humming of the classes where teachers were lecturing. Nigel unlocked the door and stepped out, rapped on Hoagie's door to make sure he was coming, then crept out of the boys' bathroom. The hallway was deserted. He walked to the front doors of the school quickly, emerged out into the street, and made his way along the school's wall, ducking window, until he reached to corner. He breathed again, then looked around - Hoagie wasn't there. 

--

Hoagie's locked door had, in fact, not opened in time, and ten minutes of fiddling with it - for all his excercising, he couldn't heave himself over it - passed quickly. He heard footsteps, someone was coming. He sat on the toilet with the top down and tucked his legs in, holding his breath. The footsteps stopped. Started again... slowly, whoever the footstepper was entered the bathroom, paced the length of the bathroom once, twice, three times... Hoagie's head started to spin with anxiety; the footstepper was looking for _him_. He had to do something, He stood up on the toilet, raised his arms over his head, pushed himself upwards... he could see the top of the footstepper's head, covered with smooth, dark hair... he was high up enough to put his legs on the ledge... please, please don't fall, let the clumsiness in his limbs just go away... just for a second... just for a moment...

The dark-haired boy finally stopped outside his cubicle. He pulled out a strange card, and inserted it in the door, where the lock was. It clicked open. Hoagie lifted himself up further. He thought of Abby, if only he could be around when Wally and Nigel rescue her, and then he thought of how stupid he must look - and that was all it took. Suddenly there was sweat on his palms; his hands slipped on the low walls of his cubicle, and he crashed down on the top of the toilet, right in front of the footstepper, who smiled unpleasantly.

"I have been sent to get you, Hoagie Gilligan."

Hoagie stood up, trying hard not to wince at the pain in his backside, and said, "Sent by who?"

The boy smirked. "By the teacher of course, Hoagie Gilligan." Hoagie backed away subconciously. What was _with _this guy?

"Um, right... could I have your name, please? It's sorta weird that you keep calling me by my full name, but I don't even know yours."

The kid's mouth curved, if possible, into and even wider and unpleasanter smirk than before. "Leonard. Leonard Wigglestein."

Hoagie's temper, for some reason, flared up. "Yeah, well, I'm not com-" he cut off. It wouldn't be a good idea to tell this guy what he was up to - he just knew it somehow. He would have to go Nigel on this boy - sneaky and clever. "Sure, sorry, the lock was stuck..."

"Come with me then, Hoagie Gilligan, Mrs. Thomas is waiting for you." Hoagie nodded, and followed Leonard obediently, his mind working furiously. Then it stuck on a good thought - he didn't have a class with Mrs. Thomas now. He'll just say he'd head to that class alone, and then dash out of school when Leonard was off to his own class. He smiled, but hid it quickly, trying to look confused and forgetful. Then he said, "Oh - Sorry, I wasn't paying attention, I don't have any classes with Mrs. Thomas right now, I've got -"

"- I _know _you don't have any classes with her!" Leonard suddenly sneered. Hoagie blinked once. Twice.

"Well then, see you - I've really got to get to class, I'm already -"

"Mrs. Thomas wants to see you, Hoagie Gilligan!" Hoagie blinked again, feeling rather stupid. Was he missing something?

"Um... can't it wait 'til after class?"

Leonard was sneering at him gleefully. "_No_."

"Does my teacher know?"

"No."

"But then - but then I'll lose points!" He exclaimed indignantly. The murmuring coming from a nearby classroom stopped. Leonard was surveyeing him with intense dislike. Hoagie sensed he was doing the same. Leonard then opened his mouth.

"Good," He said nastily, "It's no more than you deserve."

"What have _you_ got to say about that?" Hoagie said, and he saw Leonard's hand dash towards his belt, then ease away.

"You will see Mrs. Thomas, Hoagie Gilligan. Now." The way of talking reminded him of Kuki when she was brainwashed. Leonard held on to Hoagie's arm with surprising strength, and led him down the hallway forcefully, like a guard. He finally opened a door for him at the end of the first-floor corridor, and closed the door behind both of them. Inside was a small gathering of people, who he had all seen before.

Leonard joined a group of girls and boys standing in the middle of the room, girls and boys he had seen many times before in class. There was a short, blonde girl, stunningly pretty with pale, almost blank eyes, an excessively tall boy with hair falling into his eyes, a boy with exactly the same body build as Wally, and a short, plump girl with olive skin and dark pigtails. Pacing up and down the length of the room, looking almost hungrily at a stack of paperwork on the teacher's desk, was a girl with curly, blonde hair that fell easily past her wiast and a curvy, girlish build, behind the desk sat a woman in her late thirties, with tidy, brown hair, and very pretty, sparkling eyes, and most surprising of all, in the corner, stood a girl with her bangs shading her colourless eyes - Kuki. Knowing no one would recognize him in a very friendly way, except perhaps the teacher, Hoagie stayed where he was. The teacher nodded to the blonde-haired girl, who rushed to the window, pushed a button, and immediately the shudders were in place. There was no light. Then, a warm, orange glow lit up the room, and he spotted the blonde girl next to a cozy-looking lamp. The teacher smiled warmly at him, and gestured towards a chair near the teachers desk. The blonde circled the room like a vulture - a very pretty vulture - as he sat down. She was eyeing him warily.

"Hoagie Gilligan, isn't it?" The teacher said kindly. He nodded nervously. The blonde was watching him as though he might attack someone - or else as though she was extremely hungry. "Oh I remember you - look how tall you are!" The teacher said, but Hoagie just looked at her, mystified. "Oh, that's right, I'm sure you don't remember me. I'm Mrs. Thomas. I taught you when you were in fourth grade." She stopped smiling and looked at him seriously. "Now, Hoagie, let me tell you something. This is very improtant." Hoagie nodded. "Most people - almost everyone - can remember the lives they led when they were ten, but not you. Not Kuki, or Wally, or Nigel, or Abby. There are other children like you - they can't remember their pasts. I need to tell you _why. _This is the most important class you've ever had, Hoagie, the most important yet."

Hoagie's eyes widened behind his glasses. He saw a smirk flit across the blonde girl's face, but Mrs. Thomas sent her a venomous look, and continued kindly to Hoagie. "You were brainwashed, Hoagie."

"I... _what?_"

* * *

The sea smelt lovely; it was sunny and warm, but it remained a mystery how an old-fashioned pirate ship like the _Sweet Revenge _could go from Cleveland, Ohio, to some warm and sunny ocean below the equator. The water was sparkling blue and the sky was clear besides a few wispy, fragile-looking clouds. Abby breathed in. The air even tasted nice. She had asked the captain of the _Sweet Revenge _how he had gotten his ship all the way here in nothing but a few hours, but he just answered, "Aaaargh, tha's wha' yeh get when yeh put a good ship with some technology, lass." and then pulled a yellow lollipop from his scraggly beard. 

One down side to the sudden warm weather was that Abby was still wearing her winter clothes. The long-sleeved cranberry shirt she had put on yesterday morning was soaking. She had been offered an old-fashioned dress - complete with a corset - but she had kindly refused. The dress didn't look too much cooler than her normal clothes were. Besides, a _corset?_ She would rather drop dead, pirate ship or not. She turned from the edge of the boat, and jogged to her room, under the deck. It was nice and cool there. She stretched and realised she was exhausted; she had spent the entire afternoon learning how to help the crew in case things got messy, and Captain Stickybeard had even taught her how to steer the ship and read a compass. He said he'd explain everything that evening. _Why _did it have to take so long until dusk? She almost wished it would be winter again, so that night would fall sooner. She sighed impatiently, and climbed into her hammock. She fell alseep immediately.

"Hey, sleepyhead!"

"Mmph. Goway."

Poke poke.

"CREE!" Abby shot upwards, to see her sister wearing a dark red, armored costume.

"Hiya Abby, so glad to know you missed me." She said, grinning widely. "Stickybeard contacted me as soon as he had you - Abbs, we're going to tell you everything together, so I can fill in parts of the story that he doesn't know."

"Um... okay."

"I was worried sick. It's a good thing Stickybeard likes you so much."

"Yeah..."

"Peeyuw, you smell! Why didn't you take the dress the pirates offered? It's not so hot - besides, these things are filthy." Cree exclaimed, pointing at the shirt and Abby's jeans.

Abby pouted. "I don't wear dresses, Cree."

"Nah, you wouldn't fit into a corset anyway."

* * *

Two hours later, after much puffing and squeezing and pulling, Abby was in the pirate dress. She had just done it to prove Cree wrong, but she wasn't sure if it was worth it. She could hardly breathe; on the other hand, it was surprisingly cool. And, of course, it was beautiful. It looked as though it were made of caramel; it was long and shiny, with the light moving across it in slow, mysterious swirls, although light doesn't even work like that. The top part was stiff, but the skirt was long and flowing, and it was a relief not to have sweaty jeans sticking to her legs. It wasn't decorated very much besides with dark blue beads at the neck, which was so wide it felt as though it was about to fall off of her shoulders. It didn't, to her relief. After a while of walking around with it, she decided that she would get used to not being able to breathe, and showed Cree what she had accomplished. Her older sister exclaimed that she knew she could do it and that she looked gorgeous, and what would Hoagie say if he saw her now? Fortunately, Abby didn't have to think up some way to defend herself, because one of the French pirates came in and announced that Captain Stickybeard was ready to see her now. Cree followed Abby to Stickybeard's cabin. He was sucking on a rather large jawbreaker. 

"Sit down, lass, have somethin' to drink." He said, motioning to a chair pulled up to the table, and nodded to Cree for her to sit opposite him. The table was groaning under the weight of what Abby thought must have been the unhealthiest meal ever concocted: Berry juice for wine, a huge sugar loaf, slightly caramelized, ice cream, candy canes, a marzipan pig in the middle of the table with a caramel apple in its mouth, floating in what looked like a molten chocolate sauce, a fish made of violet jelly, its scales decorated with blue whipped cream. Besides these there were piles of cookies, mountains of mints, cakes with up to twelve layers of filling, a bowl with candies in it that were shaped like real fruits, glittering like gems in the candle light, and a yellow pudding trembling ominously. Besides each of them having gold plates with silver designs etched on them, silver cutlery and golden goblets, they each had a large bowl made of decorated glass, filled to the rim with puffy, snow-white whipped cream. Cree chuckled and pointed: All the way at the end of the table, which was attached to the wall of the cabin, stood a magnificent candy-sculpture. It depicted a dolphin, riding on the crest of a wave. The wave was made of tiny, multicoloured gumballs stuck together, and the dolphin was spun sugar that almost gleamed silver. Abby had never seen such beautiful - if unhealthy - dishes. Stickybeard nodded at both of them kindly. "Help yerselves," he said, reaching for a leg of the marzipan pig. Abby thought it was a bit of a shame to eat anything so magnificent. She soon learned that this was a mistake; the food tasted even better than it looked. She hadn't eaten so much in ages. After having eaten her way through candy pig, fish, cake, fruit, pudding and cookie, she found she couldn't eat a bite more, and if she did, her dress would either make her throw it all up again, or would explode. She leaned back, studying Stickybeard eagerly, but he was still busy eating. After watching him stuff in mouthful after mouthful of marzipan and pudding, she decided perhaps she wasn't so full after all, and dug in for a second time. Finally she stopped eating, along with Stickybeard and Cree, who ate surprisingly much despite how much she complained teenagely that she was too fat (which, by the way, wasn't true).

Stickybeard was now the one doing the studying. He eyed her with bright interest for a while, then finally opened his mouth and spoke, in his pleasant, raspy voice. "Yeh won' remember tha' I offered the post of first mate to yeh, would yeh, Abby?"

"No, sir." She said respectfully, though confused. Being a first mate on a ship like the _Sweet Revenge _was like a dream come true. Stickybeard spoke again.

"Tha' post is still open to yeh, lass, I know yeh've still got tha' spunk in yeh."

Cree beamed.

"Now, I know yeh've still got school an' all, but if yeh're ever interested in helpin' us out when yeh're not learnin', yeh're welcome."

"Thanks - Thank you, captain."

He clapped her on the shoulder - hard. Her face slammed into her whipped cream bowl; luckily, it was still partly full. Stickybeard, amazingly, didn't notice this, and spoke on. "I won' have yeh in my crew, though, if yeh don' know yer past. It's a special one, lass, an' I've 'specially asked Cree here to keep it a safe secret - yeh needed ter know at the right time. Wha' do yeh say to knowin' it all - the truth?"

Abby laughed for pure glee. "Captain, if you could tell me what's been goin' on, I'd be in yo' debt, and I promise I'll pay you back."

Stickybeard's face was slowly lit up with a grin, Cree was still beaming at her. "We have an accord then, lassie."

* * *

**I like Stickybeard. I think he has a soft spot for Abby; I think he wants to develop a clever candy-brain like hers to its full potential or something. Review! Do you like my description of the caramel dress? I loved dreaming it up :) Gold must look so good on Abby.** **And evil old Mrs. Thomas... Maybe I'll create a were-poodle/spank-happy vampire feud, just like in real life mythology (contradiction, I know), I'm feeling so... so... epic-y. What do you think? Maybe a bit too epic-y? Don't worry, they're not going to start whipping out their wands at all. I'm no good at crossovers. Okay, I'm rambling. Just review, okay? Please?  
**


	15. DT's Database

**It's a miracle! I'm updating!**

**Enj - oh, dang it. I almost got away with forgetting the discaimer.**

**Disclaimer: Seeing as how most of the characters act way OOC all the time, I doubt anywone would be stupid enough to compare my pitiful attemps at making everyone act IC to the actual makers of C: KND. Are you stupid? No, you are not, thank you very much.**

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"He - they - but -" Wally spluttered. Nigel grimly told him to stop gawping, and retold his story.

"We, Hoagie and I, had come up with a plan to catch up with you without being noticed. When it was time to go, I snuck out of the school, turned to see how Hoag's was doing, but he was gone." He drawled, slightly boredly. Wally always panicked; Nigel just thought going mental under stress was a waste of time. People who did couldn't help it, but Nigel was annoyed at them all the same. Wally massaged his forehead with his knuckles. "Well, there's obviously nothing left to do. We've got to keep on going. Leave a message with his mom that's cryptic to her but that he can understand, and finally get going."

Wally stepped back in horror. "Nigel... yeh're heartless..."

Nigel stared. Wally guffawed. "Kidding. Let's go."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Hoagie, you've really got to understand me. Completely. Repeat after me."

"Uh, Mrs. Thomas, it's okay, I'm not in elementary school anymore, or anyth-"

"_Do it!" _She hissed in an uncarectaristically scary voice. She quickly drew breath and held it, surveying Hoagie with wide eyes. Was it just the light, or did they look sort of... red? Then she breathed out calmly. "I'm so sorry about that, Hoagie... you know, teaching the little ones... nerve-wracking..." She muttered on a little more, mentioning a Count Spank-You-Ha! once or twice. Hoagie leaned foreward.

"Count Spank-You-What?" He asked, amused. Mrs Thomas looked back up at him, with a kind look on her face. Her eyes were deep chocolate brown. The redness must have been the light.

"Count Spankula, sweetheart." Her smile broadened as he stared at her. "It's a - um - scary story. Yes. I was - er - supervising a preschool, and... one of the kids... told a scary story about a count... that, er, spanked children that were very bad... silly story, actually... but the children wouldn't take their nap..." She muttered. The curvy blonde was now leaning against the wall near the door and looking uncomfortable. She kept sending Mrs. Thomas resentful looks. They were easy to catch. Mrs. Thomas snapped her head upwards and continued in her prim tone, bringing Hoagie's attention back to her. "So, well, yes, it is very stressful, to teach. But it's certainly fun!" Hoagie was slightly repulsed by her nice-teacher-attitude, until he caught himself. She wasn't going to do anyone harm in being nice.

How wrong he was.

"Now, honey, close your eyes, and repeat after me."

"Okay..." Hoagie sighed. This was all so _childish. _

"I was brainwashed..."

"I was brainwashed," Hoagie suppressed a laugh.

"When I was little..."

"When I was little,"

"Into fighting my parents..."

"Into fighting my parents,"

"And rebelling against those who only wanted to keep me healthy."

"And rebelling against those who only wanted to keep me healthy." Hoagie's voice felt strangely far away; He was starting to feel kind of light-headed. Maybe this wasn't so stupid... it was all so clear this way... and so... so... _believable._

"The children who misled me..." Mrs. Thomas continued.

"The children who misled... me..." Hoagie repeated sleepily.

"Have taught other children to continue..."

"Have taught... other... children to continue..."

"Their evil work."

"Their... their..."

"... evil work..." Mrs. Thomas prompted.

"Their... their evil..." He was feeling so heavy... he couldn't say it correctly; the words halted at his tongue, the echoes of arguments drifting through his empty-feeling brain... _not true... not right... not - true... Wrong... do not - don't listen... no..._

_"Evil work..." _Mrs. Thomas' voice drifted back to the surface. "_Evil work..."_

_No - no - don't - not - not true..._

"Enough," said five voices, all in perfect unison. Hoagie, slightly ashamed, turned towards them and opened his eyes; he didn't feel like looking at Mrs. Thomas. The shortest of the five was holding a strange, flat, gameboy-ish device, studying it with a serious and businesslike expression. "You can teach him the rest later; now, we have to move. Sensors indicate that the traitors Stickybeard and Cree are heading back towards the U.S."

"Cree? She used to fight for you?" Hoagie asked incredulously. That was bad, maybe she was responsible for getting rid of Abby, and just pretending to miss her, if she was really a traitor. Nobody answered him, though.

"We're going to prepare the robots for battle, they'll be here by nightfall. Most likely they're going to try to make a stand, Stickybeard's never been the brightest of the villains." They turned to leave. Mrs. Thomas motioned for Hoagie to follow her as the room emptied.

"Hold it!" He nearly yelled. This bit was important. When several of them stopped to look at him, he said, as bravely as he could, "what about Abby? Do you know where she is?"

"She has conciously allied herself with the enemy." Said a chubby, dark-skinned girl in the group of five. Hoagie froze. He wanted to say something, but no words came to mind. Almost everyone was gone, except for Mrs. Thomas. She was holding open the door for him. He snapped back to reality, unsure of where he had been drifting a moment before. As he walked into the hallway, Mrs. Thomas put her small hand on his shoulder and whispered, "I'm sorry, Hoagie."

He didn't look around at her.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So," Nigel panted, as they rounded the corner, "what do we say?"

"Er," Wally started. "I don't know. W. and N. need you at Sanban's?"

"No, because his mom might look up Sanban in the telephone book. How about: 'W. and N. need you at the cheerleader's'?"

"Alroight. You call her."

"No, you. You're better at lying. Here - here's a quarter. Go to that phone booth, dial his number, then say that there's going to be a game at school, where you need to work out clues to find out people's assigned secrets, and that his clue is 'W. and N. need you at the cheerleader's', and - don't forget to introduce yourself properly, or his mum won't trust you!" he added as Wally sprinted towards the booth.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Give it here, you might break it."

"What do you _mean, _I might break it? You're no less clumsy than I am!"

"Give it!"

"Foine." Wally grumbled. Nigel had appointed himself leader of the expedition, and though he was good at it, Wally didn't like how he had assumed his position so easily.

Nigel let the small, blue-grey glass ball roll around in his hand. It was a perfect sphere, except for the one hole that went down to the middle of the ball, and ended in what looked suspiciously like an electric outlet.

"So... you snatched that out of the machine's mouth?" Wally started, all offenses forgotten.

"Yes... I'm quite sure this was the thing that was powering up the beam itself."

Wally looked up curiously. "Beam? What beam?"

Nigel sighed, looking back up at Wally as he pocketed the sphere. "The robot opened its mouth, and this was in the middle of it, and then this... light... started coming out of the middle... where the ball was."

"Ahhh... so, where are we going now?"

"To Kuki's, for the third and final time."

"Oh."

The walked in silence for a while.

"What d'you think's happened to Abby?" Wally wondered.

"I don't know... but I'm quite sure she's alive..."

Right you are, Nigel Uno.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Abby had changed clothes... once again... the caramel-dress didn't allow much movement, so she had had to put on an even more ridiculous outfit, where she could jump right into the _Pirates of the Caribbean_ movie whenever she wanted.

It came complete with a striped bandana. And a coat.

Cree nearly died from laughing.

Abby, however, was not unhappy. The night where Cree and Stickybeard promised they would tell her about her past was not what she had expected: they had pulled out photos, Cree had fought karate with a puppet, and she, Abby, was given the task to talk to each and every one of the crew (even though it was late...) about the Kids Next Door, which were the only clues she was given.

Her memory came seeping back, bit by bit...

... and with it, the realization that her friends, her new and old friends, were in grave danger.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"If only Abby were here."

"We _are _lucky both her parents work, you know."

"Ah know that."

"So, give me a boost."

Wally grumbled, then roughly shoved Nigel through the small, open bathroom window. To his delight, his companion landed in the Sanban's bathroom with a loud crash, and a whispered 'ow...'.

"Yeh alroight in there, Niiiiigiiiiie?"

"Shut up." Nigel grumbled, and in a moment, after foraging for keys, he managed to get Wally in the house, too. They locked the door again, this time with a chain, so that if Mr. or Mrs. Sanbanm came home early, they would know it.

"Wally, you go search her room for anything that resembles this ball -" he tossed Wally the glass sphere "- while I stand guard here. I'll whistle the British national anthem if someone comes home."

"How does the British national anthem go?"

Nigel whistled a few bars for him. With a pang, he thought of what Hoagie would say were he with them ('What, are they here already?'). Was he alright?

Wally, meanwhile, took the stairs two at a time and entered Kuki's room. Perched on her pillow, he found something that matched Nigel's treasure - almost. This piece was more complete. Panting, he arrived at Nigel's side a few moments later, and showed him the second sphere, which had a licorice-like stick jammed into the one hole. The exposed end of the stick was shaped like it would fit perfectly into the ball. Cautiously, slowly, Nigel stuck connected the two.

The two balls lit up, and the black stick connecting the two crackled with bright blue electricity. Nigel laid the thing on the Sanban's coffee table in the living room, and both sat down on the couch. As soon as the device - whatever it was - was put down, a partly transparent, light blue square slowly slid out of the licorice connecter. Lines drew themselves across it, and then -

"Welcome, Teenagers, to the Delightful Teens' Database. How can we be of service to you?"

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**It was about time, don't you think? Review!**


	16. A Step Ahead

**Disclaimer: I do not own _Codename: Kids Next Door_, but I did change the natures of the spank-happy vampires and the werepoodles so that their purpose is a little scarier, easier to take seriously, and much more traditional. The plot is also mine. I'm not that much of a ripoff.  
**

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_Owww... my eyes are hurting... so much... what happened? Where am I?_

_Ugh. Not again! Why does this keep happening to me? Did I pass out again?_

_Yes, I think I did... but - no._

_Yes! I think I was knocked out... that would explain a whole lot._

_Am I in bed? Oh no! What if I'm not? What if no one found me?_

_No... I'm not in bed! I'm sitting up! Then why does it feel like I'm stuck inside my own brain? I have to remember... I was gone, visiting Wally, and he had been beaten up. And he said - he said - ohhh CRUD._

**Flashback**

"Kooks... yeh shouldn't be here."

"Why, Wally? What's wrong? Tell me - tell me your eye was caused by an accident!"

"It wasn't. Yeh have to get home before dark!"

"I'm not leaving until you tell me what's happened. Who attacked you?"

"I couldn't see. I think it was - it had to be a person."

"..."

"Kooks? Are yeh alroight?"

"... you _think _it was a person?"

"Well - "

"OF COURSE IT WAS A PERSON!"

"Ehe - "

"_What else could it be, then?"_

"Er... ah dunno..."

"..."

"Look. Ah need to give you something. It tried to attack me with - with this."

"What is it?"

"Ah dunno - Kooks, the sun's setting."

"Alright, alright."

"An' Kooks?"

"Yes?"

"Ah..."

"...?"

"Ah... ah want yeh to give it to Abby. She'll know what to do with it."

"... okay... is there... anything else you want to tell me?"

"Ehh..."

"... Wally?"

"Ah... don't mess with it, okay? Ah couldn't stand it if there was anything... if anything happened to yeh."

"... right."

"Ah mean, it would be my fault if yeh - ah dunno..."

"... Wally, don't get up! What are you doing?"

"Ah wanted to - to eh... to help yeh, I guess..."

"With wha - oh. Thank you."

"Goodbye, Kooks."

"Goodbye Wally. See you at school."

"Yeah - and Kooks?"

"Yes?"

"Ah... ah love yeh..."

"Thank you, Wally. I love you too."

**End Flashback**

_Oh... I was sooo disappointed when he just help the door open for me... but it was all okay when he told me that. That reminds me of when I was little... There's this one thing that I can remember... _

**Flashback**

"Mushi... you've asked me a million times if it's true."

"Is it, though? Why wouldn't you tell me?"

"Because..."

"Is it the Kids Next Door? Will they do something bad if you tell?"

"No... it's just..."

"Am I not allowed to know?"

"Yes. You are allowed to know. It's just that I don't want to know it... myself. You already know it, but if I say it, it's different. It's hard to say. If I admit it – to anyone – it's like sealing a letter. Mushi, I don't want to say it."

"Why?"

"Because..."

"Please tell me, Kuki."

"But..."

"I'll help you remember after you're decommissioned, I promise!"

"..."

"Please? I'll help. I'll do anything I can to help, I promise."

"... okay..."

"..."

"Well, I think - "

"...?"

"I think I'm in love."

"Oh, wow! With who, with who?"

"With... Wallabee Beetles. Numbuh Four."

"...!"

"Stop giggling!"

**End Flashback**

_That was funny. Wallabee Beetles... and now I know he loves me back._

_That's so perfect._

_Or at least it WOULD BE. If I weren't STUCK in my frickin' BRAIN._

_HONESTLY._

_Okay... calm down, Kooks... cool it. Chill._

_Heh... I sound like Abby. "Chill, gurl!" Hahaha._

_Anyway. Where was I?_

_Ah, there... where we get to how I passed out... let's see..._

_I was walking away from the Beetles' house..._

**Flashback **

"Hey, I wonder what happens when I twist this stick around?"

ZAP!

**End Flashback**

_Well... that explains a lot. Now... how to get out... Maybe Mushi can help me! But I can't talk to anyone out of my brain... hmmm... waiiit a second. She said that she'd promise to remind me of Wally after I was decrapitated... or whatever that was. But I haven't heard ONE word about one adorable, Australian Beetles. With green eyes, so I can't be talking about Joey, who is also Australian and also quite cute, but... he has blue eyes. Or, at least, blueish green, or whatever._

_Hmmm... where was I?_

_Oh yeah. She didn't keep her promise. Grrr... all the time I could have spent, at least e-mailing my one true love..._

_I revolt me! My mind keeps straying to thoughts of lurv, while extreme dangers are afoot!_

_How am I going to tell the rest of the gang? Wally must have been wanting to get that device thingee - the sphere with the ball stuck on the end - to someone who could figure it out. But, luckily, it came into my hands first, so they will know NOT to twist that stick around, thanks to my numbskulled sacrifice. I wonder when someone will get me out of -_

Kuki Sanban's pen rolled out of her hands, onto the floor. She was in the middle of the class. Not caring that the teacher himself was talking, she raised a trembling hand into the air.

"So, the battle of Marathon - Yes, what is it, Miss Sanban?"

She swallowed painfully. She was going to be sick.

"Please, sir... I feel very sick... can I go to the bathroom?"

Mr. Frybingle surveyed his young Japanese student for a second. She did look sick indeed, pale and clammy. Beads of sweat were forming around her trembling lips... "Yes, you go, Kuki, and please tell the secretary if you plan on going home. I'll write you a hall pass."

Kuki thanked him, then rushed out of the classroom. She rushed into the girls' bathroom, locked herself into a stall, and promptly threw up into the toilet. Then she heard the door swing open. She climbed on top of the toilet seat as quietly as she could, and listened. The two girls were making no effort to lower their voices.

"No one here." Said the first, in a high, breathy voice.

"Good." The second sounded like an ogre compared to the first. Her voice was gravelly and nasal. "Mrs. Thomas has sedated him. He'll just feel like he's had a normal day, only he stayed the night at Mrs. T.'s house."

"Okay. How's he taking it?"

"Taking... the news on former Numbuh 5?"

Kuki inhaled sharply. She had dreamed about a Numbuh 5...

"Yeah. I think he loved her or something. Anyway - Tala's asking for a set of digging robots - I can only wonder why." The ogrish one sounded very sarcastic as she said this.

"You mean... she's actually making a move on the Count's recruiting?"

"Yes, Father thinks so anyway. He just says let them duke it out, in their desperation they might come up with new weapons."

"Oh my gosh... she's going to make an underground base?"

"We're pretty sure, yeah."

Kuki leaned closer to the stall door. The high-pitched voice spoke again, nervously.

"Full moon's next week."

Kuki frowned. Talk of full moons made her stomach turn...

"Yeah. Take this."

"It's a nail file."

"Yeah, but practice with it... all next week, keep it with you. The tip is made of silver. Wear anything made of real silver all next week, too. It'll keep you safe. Come on, Alice, we have to get back to class."

"Wait."

"What?"

"Do you think Mrs. Thomas will try to bite Hogarth?"

Kuki nearly fell of the toilet seat. Hogarth... Hoagie's name.

"I wouldn't be surprised. Maybe she'll let Valerie do it, she's been salivating for blood for ages."

The door closed. Kuki realized she was shivering.

_Have to get home. Have to help Hoagie. Werewolves. Full moon._

She stood up, left the toilet stall, and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked like death warmed over.

She washed her face with warm water, dried it, sang herself a song, then decided the coast would be clear. She peeked out of the bathroom. No one there.

_15 minutes until class ends._

She raced to the stairway, tiptoed upstairs as fast as she could, then speeded towards her locker. Out went her backback, containing her pencil case and a small notebook, then she pulled on her coat, and stuffed a mythology book into her backpack. Off she went again.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"All brainwashed subjects have regained conciousness. To regain control over said subjects, they must recieve another delightfulization ray."

Nigel sighed. "If we're right, Kuki's back to normal."

"Ah hope so..." Wally looked at the screen. "Hey, hold on... how about 'Werewolf/Vampire feud'?"

"Hmm?"

"There." Wally pointed at a square. Nigel stuck his finger into the screen, which was not solid, opening a window about the situation between werewolves and vampires. Nigel had already seen that the Database was updated practically once a second, so this would be the most recent discoveries about this situation. According to the information at the top of the page, the article had just been updated.

_**Most recent news**_

_Hogarth Penniwhistle Gilligan, Jr., has been fooled into trusting Tala Thomas, leader of the Werewolves. Thomas is planning on countering the recent Vampire activity, and rumor has it that she is going to let Hogarth be bitten by Tala's second-in-command, Valerie (last name not yet discovered) and become the first in a long line of new recruits for the Werewolves._

While Nigal sat there gasping, Kuki burst into the hallway.

"Hoagiewerewolfbitefullmoondelightfulthankyouquick!" she yelled, sounding slightly crazed.

"We know." Nigel said.

"Hey... what are you doing here?" Kuki said, the oddness of the situation finally dawning upon her.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Yes, yes, dumb ending, but it had to end somewhere, didner it? I didn't know how to get them out of the Sanban's house and off to wherever they're going next and still be able to call it a chapter, not a drabble connecter thing.**

**Mrs. T's first name, Tala, is a Native American girl's name meaning _wolf._ **

**Also, I'm very sorry that Mushi's Memory, mentioned in an earlier chapter, is all mushy and about love.**

**Update!**

**... update? I have been reviewing other peoples' stories far too often. Review, I mean!  
**


	17. Hahaoya

**Hey! 2 1/2 thousand words. Not bad. Anyway, here's a chapter that might brighten the story up a little. I hope you like it! ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own C: KND, but I do own the story idea, and the thought to make the werepoodles and the spank happy vampires more traditional is also mine.**

--

Wally grunted as he heaved Kuki up towards a higher branch. He was having trouble balancing, as he had climbed into a tree in Mrs. Thomas' garden.

"Wait." Kuki took off her long jacket and passed it to him. She had changed clothes at her home. Now she wore a pair of black leggings and a tight green shirt. She didn't want anything to get caught.

"Maybe we should've waited for the cover of darkness..." Nigel whispered. The tree was an evergreen, so Wally and Kuki couldn't be seen, but they were making the tree tremble something awful. Finally he heard Wally yelp, "No!" and saw Kuki leap out of the tree and grasp the second-floor windowsill. Her black sneakers scraped against the wall and she scrambled to get a little higher. Then a car rounded the corner.

"Kuki! Jump!" Nigel cried, but Wally was already out of the tree and snatching Kuki off the wall. All three of them ducked behind the concrete fence, Wally laying Kuki's coat underneath her. The ground was damp and cold, and half-melted snow covered the yard.

They each listened so hard their ears began to ache. The car slowed down, stopped, and someone got out and slammed the door. They heard high heels click-clacking against the pavement. They heard the walker stop, open the boot of the car, and grab something out of it. The boot was closed again. The shoes walked, paused; they heard a bunch of keys jangling. They opened a gate - the gate to Mrs. Thomas' front yard. The three of them crept further away from where the side garden turned into the frond yard. Mrs. Thomas didn't notice. She continued towards her door, step by step, as Nigel, Kuki and Wally slowly got soaked in the melting snow.

And then, finally, Mrs. Thomas opened her front door, wiped her shoes on the doormat, and stepped inside. The door swung shut, and the three fourteen-year-olds hiding from her breathed again.

--

_Ding dong._

_No going back now, _Nigel thought nervously, as Mrs. Thomas opened her door half an hour later. As Kuki was the best actress of them three, not to mention the quickest, they decided she should be the bait. They had had to travel back to the Sanban's house and let Kuki change back into her school uniform. Now they were back, and if all went according to plan, Wally and Nigel would sneak into Mrs. T.'s house and rescue Hoagie.

Wally was muttering to himself, slouched against a high, concrete fence. Kuki looked up at Mrs. T. slowly, and stepped inside.

Nigel now imitated Wally, and hoped with all his heart that Kuki played her part well.

--

_No smiling. _Kuki reminded herself. She was inside the house.

"So, what did Father send you to tell me?" Mrs. Thomas asked coolly. Nigel having previously filled her in on everything about Father and the Delightful Teens, Kuki did not feel nervous about this question. She ignored the prick of fear that came with the name 'Father', and pushed her wonderings about it away.

Mrs. T. offered her tea. Using her best table manners, Kuki accepted it, and took a sip whenever her host did.

"Yes, Mrs. Thomas, Father's robots are underway. They are, however, undergoing upgrades."

"Upgrades?" Mrs. Thomas' teacup stopped halfway towards her lips. Her eyes flashed greedily. "How quickly can they get the job done?"

"It depends on the size of the space you want to empty, and the space they are given beforehand."

The teacher's cup slammed down on the table. She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Father has already sent robots to measure the space! Who are you?"

_Oh, no. _Kuki thought. She took a deep breath and willed her voice to stop trembling. "That robot had encountered one of those five teenagers that oppose us." _Am I doing it right? _

"Those don't even remember how to fight anymore! They were all brainwashed when the youngest of them was kidnapped by Father. Have your superiors told you nothing of this?"

_The youngest... but - that's me!_

"No." Kuki replied, this time trying to look sort of confused. Luckily, Mrs. Thomas was not too keen on keeping secrets.

"If the heads of an organization keep secrets from the units that form its base, it cannot operate properly. Distrust begins with secrets."

Kuki said nothing.

"Well, if Father does not trust you with that story, why would he trust you with this task?" Mrs. Thomas asked. When Kuki remained silent, she said gleefully, "Oh, you _really_ have to know. It's such an essential story - oh, this is _good -_ " the hostess primly picked up her cup, sipped at her tea, and began telling Kuki exactly what had happened. She seemed to Kuki to be one of those nice ladies on the outside, but a nasty gossiper on the inside. But Kooks listened patiently. "It was November. Exactly a month before the eldest of Sector V was to be decommissioned - she was the best fighter there was, and we needed her out of the picture soon - when word came out that she had been recruited by the Teenagers Next Door - that had all been spilled years ago when Maurice, who was a Teen Next Door himself, had decided to switch sides. He still got inside information about the KND, so he knew that Abigail had entered. So, _desperate _as he was to destroy the best team of the Kids Next Door, Father kidnapped the youngest as she slept - or rather, he let Maurice do it. Then - he tortured her."

Kuki stared at the tea in her cup. All of her memories were flooding back now - the pain, the weakness, the loneliness of suffering all alone at Father's hands... Mrs. Thomas continued.

"Sector V panicked - their friendship was their weakness, it always had been - and Father's plan was this -" Mrs. Thomas leaned in closer. "- he was going to beat her to within an inch of her life, then bring her to Sector V's doorstep. They would try and fail to save her, and Abigail, unwilling to ever remember losing someone she loved as a sister - would let herself get decommissioned."

Mrs. Thomas sat up straight again. She served Kuki more tea, then went on, quite conversationally. "Well, it all would've worked if it weren't for sisterly love. Yes, father had been doubting Cree's allegiance for a long time now. As soon as she heard the plan, she rushed to tell Sector V - and they attacked Father's headquarters."

_What state is Numbuh Three in?_ Kuki heard suddenly in her head. _Very bad, Numbuh 86. Request you send transport immediately. Burn marks everywhere. _That was Abby's voice.

_Think about it later, _she commanded herself. She couldn't go passing out, like she had done at Hoagie's house the other day.

"The youngest operative survived and healed. But Father got his way anyway. You see, to protect Numbuh Three, they had her decommissioned, so that Father would have no reason to attack her. She'd be just another teenager. But, in solidarity, all of the kids of Sector V had themselves decommissioned. They couldn't let the Sanban girl go through it alone." Mrs. T. laughed. "That move still has the entire organization of the Kids Next Door crippled."

Kuki nodded. "This is useful information." _Yes, it is. _"But Father is waiting."

Mrs. Thomas pressed her lips together at the undramatic response to the story, but stood up and led the way to her basement. It was old-fashioned, and on one wall, the tiles had been removed to reveal a concrete wall. Kuki's host gestured towards it. She started in a long description of how long the tunnel was going to be, but Kuki took a step back, so she was behind her, and looked around. In a small guest best, asleep, was Hoagie.

Mrs. Thomas was finished talking. Kuki surveyed the wall, trying to look like she was measuring the space.

"Yes. Very good." Kuki took a step back, where there was a metal tube protruding out of the ground. With a loud clang, she tripped over it. Hoagie woke up. _Apparently, he doesn't even know I'm not brainwashed anymore. _Kuki noticed how he showed no signs of recognition at all. She tried to show none, either. Turning her back on Mrs. Thomas, she faced him and mouthed, _open window. Open window. _He nodded, and sat back down on the bed.

"Mrs. Thomas, I need to report to the Delightful Teens. May I use the bathroom before I go?" Kuki asked tonelessly. Mrs. Thomas nodded, and showed her to the toilet.

--

"Look!" Wally pointed at the basement window. It had opened. A moment later, Kuki's face appeared in the bathroom window. She opened the window and flushed the toilet. That was the sign. Trusting Kuki would keep Mrs. Thomas busy, Nigel and Wally rushed towards the opened basement window. Hoagie opened it wide, and Wally reached in, prepared to heave him out, but Hoagie stepped backwards.

"Come on, Hoagie, we're here to get you out!"

"No! These people are here to keep me safe. But, guys, Abby's -"

"What are you talking about?" Nigel asked impatiently.

"We saw something about you - you can't stay here." Wally added.

"It's safe here - Mrs. Thomas is -"

"A werewolf! Now come here -" Wally cried, and the door opened. Kuki was still talking to Mrs. Thomas.

"Wally, werewolves dont - arghh!" As Hoagie pointed a finger at Wally, he siezed his fist and dragged him upwards. Nigel and Wally both held the struggling teen's arms and forced him out of Mrs. Thomas' yard.

"Hi, Hoagie. How are you?" Kuki asked cheerfully, when they were safely out of Mrs. Thomas' street.

"_Not good. _These two just dragged me out of a basement because they think Mrs. Thomas is a _werewolf!" _Wally just grinned.

"We're not less sane then you are, Hoagie. We'll show you when we get to -" Nigel cut off. Everyone looked round at him. Then they heard it. The soft footsteps of someone srpinting, growing steadily closer. Then -

"RUN!" Nigel yelled. Even Hoagie obeyed. Kuki took off her coat and threw it backwards - the footsteps paused, then continued. Then Wally fell back. Kuki stopped, too.

"Wally!"

"Keep running!" He called. She hesitated, then followed Hoagie and Nigel.

The one following them was someone he'd seen now and then at school. She was in his grade, he thought. She had her curly hair tied in a high ponytail and had a small, powerful build, like a coiled spring. He tripped her, but she was back on her feet in no time. Whipping around, her right hand collided with his shoulder in a kind of backwards slap - he only felt a ring with a needle on it stab him for a second. Then he passed out.

"_NO!" _Kuki yelled. She started towards Wally - but Nigel pulled her on.

"He'll be fine!" He called. They ran, but the curly-haired girl - Nigel could only guess she was Valerie, the second-in-command - was gaining on them. As he glanced backwards again, he saw that Valerie had stopped. He, Kuki and Hoagie all turned.

"Hoagie!" She yelled. Nigel and Kuki turned to face him. Wally was still a heap on the road. Hoagie did not respond to Valerie. He just stared back grimly.

"HOAGIE!" She called again, at the top of her lungs. "Abby will die!" Kuki drew breath so quickly it hurt. Hoagie pressed his jaws together as hard as he could.

"She will die!" Valerie repeated. "She will get killed, going with the wrong side. The side of traitors, thieves and pirates!" Valerie looked positively demented now. "AND YOU'RE GOING WITH HER, HOAGIE!" People were now starting to gather around them. Someone was crouched next to Wally, talking on her cell phone. Valerie turned on her heel and ran from the scene. Some people were calling at her to stop, others were no doubt calling the police on their mobiles. But Valerie soon dissapeared from sight. Nigel led a trembling Hoagie away, while Kuki ran towards Wally's still form.

"Wally." She shook him. "Wally, are you all right?" The girl kneeling next to her smiled slightly.

"He's alive. The hospital's sending an ambulance."

Then Wally opened an eye, and Kuki started to cry. The doctors didn't let her go to the ambulance with them, and she continued to sob as she made her way home. When she came inside, Mushi looked up from her homework and her father peeked out of the kitchen in alarm as Kuki wailed about fires and werewolves and he didn't know what else. Both of them guided her to the couch and she cried and cried on her father's shoulder. In half an hour, the rice was burned, but no one noticed. When Genki arrived home, Kuki was still crying.

"Kuki-chan! But what happened?" Genki shooed Kani back to the kitchen and sent Mushi back to her homework. "What's wrong?" She whispered while she brushed Kuki's hair out of her eyes.

"Hahaoya." said Kuki, and Genki hugged her. Kuki just sobbed into her mother's neck and her mother just rocked back and forth on the couch. Kuki hadn't cried like this since she was 12 and her friend would go away... somewhere. She hadn't said where. But Genki didn't ask any questions; she only guided her daughter to her room and tucked her in after dinner with a mug of warm milk and honey, and said she could sleep in tomorrow because it was Saturday.

Mushi went to her room and contacted the leader of her sector, just like she had when she was spying on Nigel.

"She's back to normal. Crying like heck, though."

"That's good."

"... Good?"

"Yeah. When people are delightfulized, all of their emotions are trapped. When they're released, they either laugh or cry for a long time, depending on which one is triggered first. It's usually crying though, because you can cry from happiness, sadness or exhaustion."

"Right. Smarty pants."

"HEY."

"Do I have to keep on spying on them?"

"No. I think your sister has regained her memory. I'll tell the moonbase that the decommissioning machines don't have to be any milder."

"But if Kuki remembers, that means that her memories weren't wiped completely!"

"Exactly. Decommissioning doesn't get rid of the memories; it stores them inside the decommissioned person's brain until they need it desperately. If someone tells them what happened, they won't remember. Only when the information they had would come in handy to save their lives - or other poeples' lives."

"But what if they _need _the information to, say, attack the moonbase?"

"The memories only come back when they need them for defense, never for attacks."

"Oh. Ok."

"Hey - Numbuh 84.9 is gonna whine about my being 5.46 minutes late, or whatever. Gotta go."

Mushi put away her communicator, and went to Kuki's room with her rainbow monkeys. She played with them on Kuki's bed, and Kuki played along, with Wally, her own orange one.

Then, finally, Kuki smiled again, and Mushi went to bed feeling as though she had saved the entire world.

--  
**Have you ever felt like that? I think I have... just can't remember when... hm. Anyway! Review! (I said the right thing! Whoo!)**

** I found the communicator conversation a little dumb, but I really wanted to clear up that freaky confusion thing. What else needs to be cleared up? Oh yes. 'Hahaoya' is, as I looked up, Japanese for 'mother', so is something like reidou or something. Or reichou. But I didn't use that cuz Hahaoya is cooler. Just don't say, Ha-ha-oh-ya. Say, 'ha-hao-ya'. Okay? Okay. (I don't actually know which way is right :s it's just, the other way sounds funny)  
**


End file.
